You and Me
by Alaburn
Summary: Aang and Katara are enjoying just being together in a new time of peace. A couple of years have passed since Aang defeated Ozai, and the 100 Year War is finally over. Or so they thought.
1. Chapter 1- Midnight is for Regrets

Hey, everyone reading this! This is my introduction into fanfiction. I've written stuff for other things before, but this is my first time publishing anything. This is going to be a small, chaptered story with a little bit of plot here and there. We'll see how this goes!

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**Chapter 1**

**Midnight is for Regrets**

Katara loved any occasion when she could put her hands on Aang's body, even though they had been in each other's near constant company for almost three years. And even on occasions such as this one, when her hands were touching his body because it needed her healing abilities. Her heart was aggrieved to see his flesh torn and the blood making a stark red trail to the ground. But there was no stopping the warm buzz of excitement that always ran up and down her spine whenever their bare skin touched.

She gave her head a slight shake to clear recent memories of other times they had touched and concentrated on Aang's chi pathways, willing his skin to pull itself back together. Earlier, before Aang had stumbled into their campsite, grimacing and clutching his bloody side, Katara had been enjoying the peaceful calm that always came with nightfall while she was preparing their dinner. Now she let the strength of the rising moon's glow seep into her as she closed her eyes in order to better feel the flow of energy within the water encasing her hands.

As the wound finished healing, Katara suddenly felt a familiar hand wrapping itself around her calf and slide its way further up her leg. As it passed under her knee and trailed up the back of her thigh, she lost concentration and released the water she was bending in a splash onto her patient's abdomen and the freshly healed cut on his side.

A bubble of laughter escaped her lips. "Aang! That really makes it hard to focus!" Any frustration she might have felt melted when she saw the pleased grin spreading on his face and noted that his eyelids were closed in relaxation instead of being screwed up in pain as they had been moments before.

Aang was lying stretched out on his back before her on a make-shift bench he had earthbended for them. He half opened his eyes and continued to lie there, watching her bend more water from a nearby stream and making it gently run over his skin as it rinsed away the blood. He followed the fluid motions of her skilled body which glowed in the flickering light from the nearby campfire. When he was clean, she ended with a pulling motion of her arms through the air, removing all traces of water from the surface of his skin to the ground below and leaving him completely dry.

"Sorry," he finally said. "Just couldn't stand it anymore." His smile grew unapologetically.

She put her hands on her hips in an all too familiar Katara-pose, but her eyes met his in a knowing glance and he saw the corners of her lips quirk. "If you keep doing that when I'm trying to heal you, I may have to start tying you down."

"Hmm, that's an interesting idea…" he answered with mock thoughtfulness.

Rolling her eyes she bent down to examine her handiwork. "Looks good," she announced nonchalantly, although inside she felt the warmth of pride in seeing the result of her well perfected skill. "However, now might be a good time to rethink the logic in testing the patience of wild komodo rhinos."

"Hey, who would know they had such bad tempers?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, who would know?" she replied sarcastically.

"And anyway," he continued, ignoring her tone, "I've never ridden one of those before, and it couldn't have always been wild. Komodo rhinos aren't native to the Earth Kingdom."

He sat up, looking reflectively at the sky. "It must have gotten left behind by some Fire Nation soldiers when they were ordered to go back home."

Aang and Katara had been spending the past few weeks traveling on Appa, who was now snoring in sleep with Momo curled up on his head. They had been visiting various Earth Kingdom villages that had sent requests for help to the capital city of Ba Sing Se. It was Aang and Katara's first time traveling alone together, and they had been thrilled to take on the mission for several reasons. One reason being that they would finally be able to spend some time alone and another being that they would have the opportunity of helping lots of people; thus, spreading the influence of the Avatar.

They had just finished assisting the last village on their agenda and were stopped to camp for the night somewhere in Earth Kingdom woods before they began a journey to the Fire Nation Capital. They were all getting back together for the celebration of the two year anniversary of Zuko's coronation, and for the anniversary of Aang defeating Fire Lord Ozai.

They would of course be seeing Zuko and Mai, but also Sokka and Suki who had been spending the summer in the South Pole. The plan was for them to also bring along Gran Gran and Pakku. Gran Gran had not left the Southern Water Tribe since she moved there when she was sixteen, and for her to be able to travel and see other parts of the world now that peace had finally come was truly a momentous prospect. Chief Hakoda however, would be remaining in the South Pole. He was still trying to make up for his nearly three year absence away from his tribe.

Toph was also going to be coming to the palace for the celebration. On the following day, Aang and Katara would reach the western coast of the Earth Kingdom where they were going to pick her up in the Wulong Forest. From there they would begin the trip across the ocean and on to the Fire Nation.

Katara sat down beside Aang on the earth bench, vaguely watching the water flow over the rocks in the stream. "A lot more was left behind than just rhinos. Remember that last village we were in? It's been over a year since a Firebender walked down one of its streets, but there are still repairs being done. Not to mention the people who are still scarred by the memories of living in terror."

Once again she felt the touch of Aang's hand, but this time in an effort to give and seek comfort. He pulled her hand onto his lap and laced their fingers together, the fingers of his other hand tracing patterns along the back of her hand.

"I know," he answered solemnly. "There's no telling how long this whole 'Restoration Movement' is going to take. The more I see how little has changed in all this time, the more I think it'll never completely go back to the way things were."

She turned to see his profile looking down at their hands and his face dark with the thoughts she knew were going through his mind. The thoughts that had never quite gone away and that crept up on him whenever he began to doubt himself. The feelings of inadequacy in his role of the Avatar, and of his uncertainty of his ability to restore peace which was his responsibility. No matter how many times she or anyone else reassured him, the doubting always returned.

"You know even though you _are_ the Avatar, you're not going to have to single-handedly fix the world," she began gently. "Give it a little more credit. Because of you, so many people now have the chance to rebuild their lives without the interference of a power crazy Fire Lord trying to take over the world. I think small towns like the last one are going to be their own best cure to being happy and prosperous again now that they have the peace to do so. Your job is going to be to make sure that no one obstructs that peace again."

Suddenly Katara smiled as she recalled a fond memory. "And don't forget how else you help people. The kids in that village were having the time of their lives playing on Appa, and you had everyone laughing their heads off when you told them that story about Sokka and the baby moose lion. You give people joy, and it's little things like that that do so much more than you think. It relieves stress and helps people feel hopeful about the future so that they can move forward. That's what it's about, right? Moving forward. Not regretting over the past."

Aang finally raised his head to look her in the eye. "You really think that me just having fun with those people does all that? I mean I know it's important to have fun, but how do you know that it can actually change their lives?"

She stood up abruptly, walking a few steps away and then turning back to look at him with her most serious expression while he stared at her in question.

"I know because I experienced it personally. When I first met you and brought you to my village, I saw such a complete change from what it had been for so long. People were enjoying themselves for once. I heard laughter all the time instead of crying. Kids had a chance to finally just be kids… and so did I. I couldn't remember feeling like that since before my mom was killed. And it was all because you brought back fun into our lives."

He hadn't stopped staring at her. After a while he finally spoke in a very quiet tone, "What would I do without you?"

"Probably bleed to death," she answered, equally quiet.

He stood up and closed the short distance between them within a second, making a gentle wind blow back her long hair in his haste. "That is without a doubt absolutely true," he said quickly before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a long and passionate kiss.

Her arms found their favorite spot around his shoulders, and her hands caressed the back of his neck in a way that always caused him to deepen the kiss so that she felt it all the way down to her toes. Ever since their first real kiss on the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon, their emotional and physical relationship had continued to grow and so had Aang. Katara had been grateful when the day finally came that she no longer had to lean her head down for him to kiss her. But not much longer after that, he was the one leaning down for her. With each kiss he had become more confident in how he touched her. And when the newness of kissing wore off, ever escalating skill, passion, and love took its place to weaken her knees during each embrace.

Eventually they stopped to breathe, and Katara rested her head in the crook of his neck, eyes closed serenely. "You seem to feel better now," she said, still clinging to him.

"You have a way of doing that to me," he responded tenderly, running his hands through her hair and reveling in its silky texture. "Both with the talking and the healing… and other things."

"I really need to teach you how to heal yourself," she told him as he softly rubbed the bridge of his nose along her jaw.

"I like you doing it," he answered while breathing on her neck.

"What about when I'm not with you?" she asked.

"Easy. I'll just keep you with me all the time."

She couldn't help smiling despite herself. "You know that's not realistic. We're not always together when you do dangerous things. Like when you disappeared off Ember Island two days before Sozin's Comet and then had the biggest battle of your life." Her smile turned into a troubled frown as she recalled the severe trepidation of that time. "We were on separate continents! If you had been horribly injured-" she abruptly stopped talking as she felt her voice begin to tremble and her throat constrict with emotion. "Anything could have happened," she finally murmured after a long pause.

"Hey," he pulled himself away from her slightly, still holding her in his arms, and nudged her chin up to meet his smiling gaze. "What happened to moving forward?"

"Hmm," she answered, pretending to sound exasperated. "Just like you to turn my words against me."

"Oh, yeah? Since when?"

"If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you."

"We'll see about that," he said craftily with a devilish smirk on his face.

An unexpected gust of air suddenly seemed to blow up from the ground itself as it lifted her off her feet. Aang scooped her up, one arm cradling her back and the other wrapping itself around the back of her knees as he settled the two of them on the ground.

"Hey!" Katara squealed, unable to keep from breaking into a huge smile.

"Hey what?" he dared her teasingly as he pinned her beneath him.

He proceeded to tickle her mercilessly as she shrieked in laughter, pausing every now and then to place his lips on various spots of her body instead of his fingers. On her collarbone, beneath her ear, the inside of her wrist, her neck.

They spent the remainder of the evening in that same joyous state, neither one of them needing to put into words what they were both thinking. About how happy they were just to be able to be together, especially after all that had happened to them since the day they first met.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

"_Never look back unless you are planning to go that way_."

― Henry David Thoreau

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So, that concludes the first chapter of my first fanfic. Now, the question for you is: WAS IT ANY GOOD?

Please let me know!

I'm dying to hear what anyone has to say


	2. Chapter 2- I Come to You in Pieces

Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the first chapter, your support is appreciated more than you know! So... this story is still moving along at a snail's pace. I promise though that I have a little more coming up than just playful banter. Although who doesn't love that? X)

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**Chapter 2**

**I Come to You in Pieces**

Toph was sitting on the ground, facing what she knew must be the ocean as the strong sea breeze stirred the ebony hair that fell in front of her face. She sensed the solid earth beneath her, then expand out in front of her and blend into the more indiscernible form of sand. She didn't feel an end point of the sand beneath the ocean, but more of a fading out of her awareness as it declined further and further below the sea level. And of course there was the unmistakable sound of crashing waves. She had been at this location waiting for Aang and Katara to arrive for a grand total of one day and already she was sick of that sound. She had never understood the appeal of the beach, or water in general for that matter. Nevertheless, she was determined to enjoy a few more precious hours with her beloved dirt before the long upcoming journey in the air.

She could tell by the slow recession of warmth from the surface of her skin that the sun must be setting. She didn't have to depend on its light to be able to see, but she worried as night drew nearer that her friends might not be able to find her. They should have been here by now! What was keeping them? She had made it perfectly clear in the message she had had sent to them that she would meet them at that place where Aang had kicked the Fire Loser's butt.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"So where exactly was it that you kicked his butt?" Katara asked Aang as they flew over the Wulong Forest, scanning the ground for any sign of their friend.

"It's hard to recall an exact spot. It was really more like all over the place," he answered, looking at her over his shoulder with a playful smirk.

"Oh sure, Mr. Modesty! Seriously, we only have a little bit of sunlight left to help us find her. We should have gotten to Toph by now, and I still can't believe you accidently took us too far north."

"Well maybe we would have gotten here sooner if you hadn't spent the entire morning taking a bath," he retorted, feeling slightly irked as he turned to frown at the horizon.

"It didn't take me _that_ long! And anyway, I was the one who suggested we get up early so we wouldn't be late!"

"And you were the one who decided to sleep in!"

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?!"

"BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU LOOKED ADORABLE!"

….

"Merp?" asked a concerned Momo, hopping onto Katara's shoulder.

"Sorry," Katara finally said to Aang after an awkward pause. "I guess I'm just… a little restless." She patted Momo's head comfortingly as he chirped in relief.

"I know what you mean. I'm sorry too."

They weren't really worried about Toph being alone. She had proven how capable she was a million times over, but they were still anxious to see her.

BOOM!

"What the heck is that?!" exclaimed Katara.

BOOM!

"It's either a rockslide or an impatient earthbender!" Aang called back with a smile. "Yip yip!"

The source of the thunderous booms was soon located as Aang and Katara spotted an enormous boulder twice the size of Appa rocket a hundred feet in the air and then come crashing down and make another deafening impact with the earth. Aang steered Appa so as to land a safe distance away from the commotion.

As soon as she felt those six giant feet touch the ground, Toph immediately released her ingenious hailing device in a final cloud of dust. "It's about time you slowpokes showed up!"

**0o0o0o0o0**

After a quick reunion between the close friends, they set up their camp for the night as the stars began to appear. Then the three companions sat around their campfire to catch up and recount on all that was going on. About two and a half months ago, Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka had all been in Ba Sing Se together working on Restoration Movement efforts with the Earth King. Sokka had been the first one to depart, having earlier made plans to spend the whole summer helping his dad and Pakku with continuing the rebuilding of the Southern Water Tribe. Before leaving, he had arranged with all of them that they would meet again at summer's end for the celebration at the Fire Nation Palace.

Katara was still feeling a little guilty about her decision to stay with Aang instead of going with her brother. Although she knew she made the right choice to remain where she was most needed, Katara couldn't deny the fact that she hadn't gone home once since she left it almost three years ago, while Sokka had succeeded in making several visits.

When Aang had volunteered to go on the good will trip around the Earth Kingdom, Katara knew without a doubt that it was her responsibility as his closest supporter to go with him. Toph, however, had bowed out. Regardless of their refuting her claims that she would just be a third wheel, she had decided to go on a little solo trip to "take care of some things," not bothering to elaborate on what those things were.

They had worked out a system to keep in touch, based mostly on Toph getting some random person to write a letter for her and sending it to Aang and Katara. However, she had only used this method once, letting them know where they could find her on the day they had previously settled to leave for the Fire Nation.

On the day they had parted ways, Katara hadn't been able to stop the flood of uneasiness as she hugged her blind friend goodbye. There was no way she would have ever dared suggest that Toph wouldn't be able to make it by herself for so long, but a part of her heart had remained deeply troubled from the day she had watched the small earthbender depart in a speeding, rumbling earth-run, until the moment she once again saw those cloudy green eyes and cheeky smile.

"So how was the honeymoon?" Toph asked with a smirk as she folded her arms behind her head.

"What?! We're not even married!" Aang shouted shrilly with a slight crack in his voice.

"Oh calm down, Squeaky. I was just kidding! What should I have said? Lover's retreat?" she asked, altering her voice to a sickeningly sweet tone.

Katara stepped in saying, "Come on, Toph, you know what we were doing. And as a matter of fact, it went pretty well. We got to see a lot of old friends, and we were finally able to help out in ways we couldn't back before the war ended. We also met tons of new people in all the towns we visited. There's a lot more people now who believe in how much good the Avatar can do for the world."

"Yeah, yeah. That's great. Everyone's finally coming around to the idea of being happy. Who knew?"

"Your enthusiasm is heartwarming." Katara said, arching an eyebrow.

"So… did you manage to get everything done that you wanted to?" Aang tried asking Toph absently.

"Eh, sort of."

"Oookaayy…. I'll try again. What've you been doing these past two months?"

"Little of this, little of that. Oh, and I found this!" Toph reached behind her, rustling around in the messy pile of her belongings. After finding what she was looking for, she turned around and brandished a familiar sword with a meteorite blade.

"Wow, Toph! Where did you find it? Sokka's gonna be over the moon!" Katara cried.

"When I got here yesterday, I felt a type of earth that was different from all the other earth around it. Normally, that wouldn't be so weird; except I could tell it was made out of the same stuff my armband is. So I put two and two together and, tada!"

"Nice one!" exclaimed Aang. "Not that I don't love Sokka, but hearing him complain about losing that sword a thousand times sure gets annoying."

"You can say that again," Katara said, rolling her eyes. "So Toph, you've really been here since yesterday?"

"Yeah. That's why I did the rock thing. It was getting so late and I was afraid that by the time you **finally** got here, you wouldn't be able to see me. So then it hit me. How do I find things even though I'm not able to see? I listen."

"Well, sorry about that. Map reading has never been my strong point," Aang admitted while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, neither one of us are really good at that," Katara agreed, catching Aang's eye and grinning. "Or time management for that matter."

Aang returned her smile and winked at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Toph said, matter-of-factly. "I don't have a map or a calendar and I had no trouble getting here. Like either of those things would have helped me anyway."

"Then how did you get here so easily?" Katara inquired.

"As long as my feet have been somewhere, I usually don't have trouble finding it again."

"You never cease to amaze me," Aang laughed.

"Yeah well… we all have our talents," Toph replied, unknowingly blushing. "Sokka's the one with the planning and maps and all that stuff. You with the four types of bending… me with my awesomeness, and Katara with the healing and overbearing bossiness."

"Cut that out! I am not bossy!"

"Hey, she's definitely right about the healing," Aang reminded her. "I'd be dead a hundred times over if it weren't for you!"

"Then why won't you let me teach you how to do it yourself?" Katara snapped, remembering their previous dispute.

"Why do you keep bringing this up?" Aang answered with a frustrated groan.

"Oh, so now I'm being neurotic for wanting to keep you safe?" Katara responded, equally frustrated.

"No! It's just… I probably couldn't even learn if I tried. A lot of waterbenders can't heal, and I'm not even a natural born waterbender."

"But you're the most powerful bender in the world! If anyone can do it, you can."

"I thought only girls could heal anyway."

"No, that's what those macho jerks at the North Pole think. That only men use bending for fighting and women should only use it for healing. I thought you were different from them!"

"What are you talking about? Of course I am!"

"Then why do you refuse to even try?! You think it should just be part of my 'female duties' or something?!"

"No! I don't!"

"Liar," Toph said, smirking.

"I'm not lying!" Aang yelled.

"Still lying. I can tell."

"Ugh!" Katara stoop up and stormed off toward the beach without a single glance back.

"Great, Toph. Why did you say I was lying?!" Aang asked her furiously.

"Because you were. Duh."

"I don't think healing is her 'female duty!'"

"Well, something about what you said wasn't entirely truthful."

"Why do you look like you're enjoying yourself right now?"

"I dunno. Hearing you guys fight is an extremely rare occurrence. So… don't you think you should go after her now?"

"I guess so," he said, airbending himself to his feet.

"Good luck, Twinkle toes. She's a loaded canon right now."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Katara was livid. Why was he all of a sudden being so sexist?! She stood staring as the waves crashed on the shore, feeling her fury build with each one and not noticing the effect her turbulent emotions were having on the tide. As her fuming increased, each wave became larger.

Suddenly she heard a timid voice behind her say, "Katara?"

As she whipped around, the water she had unknowingly been working at came around with her in a gigantic wave, grabbing a startled Aang and pulling him toward the ocean in a rush of foam.

"AHHHH!"

"Oh no! Aang, hang on!" Katara called out, just as shocked as he was. She put out her hands and immediately the water calmed, dropping him in a heap on the sand and receding back to where it belonged. She knelt down to where he still laid on his back, spitting out a stream of salt water.

"Are you okay?" she asked, not forgetting that she was still mad at him. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Yeah." He didn't move and didn't look at her.

"Well maybe you deserved it!" she suggested, standing up and turning her back to him.

Finally he sat up and turned towards her. "Look, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I know I'll never be a healer."

"Why would you think that?" she asked in a calmer voice but still not turning to meet his gaze.

"It's just not in me. I don't feel it."

"You once said the same thing about earthbending but you got over that."

"I know, but this is different somehow. It's hard to explain."

"Well the least you could do is try."

"Okay… here goes." He let out a long and weary sigh. "I love being around people. Most of the time."

Katara creased her eyebrows in confusion, but she didn't interrupt.

"I can get along with just about anyone, and it's always been my nature to be a peacemaker. Also, I just love goofing off and having fun. I'm usually pretty good at helping people relax and have a good time. Another thing about me is that I will protect the people I love with everything I have. That's pretty much me in a nutshell: a peaceful, fun-loving... uh... defender."

He paused for a few moments before continuing, "Then there's you. There's so much more to you that I couldn't even begin to list all the things that describe how incredible you are. And the fact that you can heal as well you do proves that you are the warmest and most nurturing person in the world. Every time you do it, it completely amazes me. When it comes to taking care of people, I totally fall short and instead turn to you because I just don't know how to handle it. When you and Sokka were sick and I had to find a cure, it was one of the hardest things I had ever gone through, and I couldn't have done it for anyone besides you."

He sat with his knees bent to his chest, now looking down at the sand as his voice lowered. "I'm sorry I've upset you. I'm just not a healer or a nurturer. I can't do it, so I want you to do it. I want you to be the one to take care of me when I need it. And it's not because you're female, although I guess that might be part it. It's because you're my Forever Girl."

Katara slowly turned around. "I'm not upset," she whispered in a quivering voice.

He looked up and felt his heart constrict to see tears in the corners of her eyes, but before he could stand up to go to her, she collapsed next to him and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Please forgive me, Aang," she said in muffled sobs against his still soggy shirt. Her reaction was more of an effect from Aang's sentimental words than from guilt for her previous anger.

"Shh," he crooned to her, one arm holding her tightly against him and the other using his hand to gently stroke the side of her face. "I know that you just want me to be safe, and I promise that whenever we're not together, I'll do my best to only receive minor injuries. Avatar Promise."

She hiccupped in response, and he smiled into her hair.

As her crying subsided, she lifted her face to look at his with all the emotion and love she was feeling, and his lips came down to meet hers in a soft assurance of his mutual feelings. When he pulled away, she sighed heavily and sagged against him, finally realizing how tired she was in the quiet stillness of the moment. Aang stood, arms still around her, and lifted her off her feet to carry her back to camp.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, you know?" Katara mumbled, eyes closed. "There's a lot more to you than just the things you said, and you're doing a pretty good job of taking care of me now."

"Only for you."

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"A tornado of thought is unleashed after each new insight. This in turn results in an earthquake of assumptions. These are natural disasters that re-shape the spirit."_

― Vera Nazarian

* * *

Some of you may recognize the title of this chapter, I got it from a line in a song called Pieces. I don't know the band. I heard it for the first time while watching a kataang vid that was completely awesome! If you're interested, go to youtube and search: kataang-pieces.

Thanks for reading! If you want to, tell me what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3- In These Arms

And now the plot thickens! Who am I kidding? This is the first time the plot even shows its face.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**In These Arms**

The next morning Katara awoke feeling something shift beneath her head. As she cracked her eyes open in the early morning sunlight, and her sight met a familiar blue arrow on the back of the hand attached to the arm upon which her head was pillowed.

"Mmmm," she moaned, stretching out her limbs and turning around to smile in greeting at a groggy, but happy looking Aang.

"Mmm, to you too," he mumbled, brushing the hair from her face with his free hand.

They both sighed contentedly, feeling warm and comfortable in each other's arms.

"Oh my god! Would you please shut up!" Toph groaned, rolling out of her earth tent.

They each proceeded with their morning routines, Katara brushed out all her long hair and arranged half of it up in a low bun, with her usual "hair loopies," as Sokka called them. Then loosened up with a few yoga stretches before getting together a breakfast of fruit for everyone, humans and animals alike.

Aang did his customary meditation and breathing exercises, and then started on warm ups for his bending drills.

Toph, meanwhile, picked methodically at the various crevices of her body.

Soon they were all up in the air again, making their way to their first stop inside Fire Nation territory.

"I see you two have become even more disgusting during our time apart," Toph grunted while reclining across from Katara in Appa's saddle.

"We're just getting closer, Toph. Don't make our relationship sound like it's some kind of catastrophe," Katara threw back, arms crossed in irritation.

"I'm just saying I'll be glad when we finally get there. Surely you guys don't act so icky when you're around Sokka."

Aang nervously fidgeted with Appa's reigns as he stammered, "Well…. I don't- I mean we…"

"Save it, Baldy! Let's just focus on our destination, so I can watch Sokka beat you up when he finds out that you sleep all cuddled up with his baby sister."

"Let's just change the subject, okay?" Katara advised.

"Sure, whatever you say, Princess. So, Zuko still cheerful as ever?"

"The last time we saw him was also the last time you saw him, about six months ago during that peace meeting with the Earth King and his military leaders," Katara reminded her.

"You haven't even heard anything new from him in all that time?"

"He is pretty busy, you know. Running a country that was previously under the hand of a vicious dictator bent on ruling the whole world and all."

"But what about _his _life? Do you think he's still with Madam Mopey?"

"If you mean _Mai, _then yeah, I don't see why he shouldn't be," Aang answered. "She seems to really make him happy, and a guy needs that when he's got a lot of things on his plate," he said, glancing over at the most beautiful waterbender in the world before turning forward again with a dopey smile on his face.

"I don't know," Toph responded with a careless shrug. "I'm just saying he might could do better."

"Yeah," Katara said, smiling at Toph slyly. "He'd be really lucky if he could land someone half as great as the Blind Bandit."

"Hey!" Toph sniped with a finger pointed at Katara. "The Blind Bandit takes issue with that comment! But… I suppose there's truth in what you say…" she mused with a smirk as her friends chuckled.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"What did you bring us here for? Don't we have enough bad memories of this place?" Toph questioned indignantly as they landed near a familiar city in the Fire Nation surrounded by mountains.

"Toph, things are different now," Katara countered gently. "We have to face these people now as friends instead of enemies. Besides, everyone knows that the new Fire Lord is on good terms with the Avatar."

"Are you forgetting that these **people **locked me and you up in a wooden cage?"

"Okay, yes, they did that. But we also tried to scam them out of their money. We're trying to move past all that now. If they still have hard feelings about that, then we'll do our best to even things out with them."

"Wouldn't it be better to just teach 'em all a lesson for treating us like that?"

"Look, Toph," Aang offered sympathetically. "I'm not really comfortable with the idea of coming back here either. My first instinct is to avoid any kind of confrontation at all. In fact I would be just fine with camping out in the outskirts like the old days, but now we stay in the inns whenever we're traveling through towns so that we can form positive connections with as many people as possible. So far there haven't been any major mishaps."

"Yeah, but don't forget that was when you were traveling in the Earth Kingdom. Aren't you worried things will be different here?"

"It very well could be, but we'll face it head on like a rock!" Aang joked with a hand on her shoulder.

They left Appa with a few heaps of grass by an outcropping of rock. "Stay here, buddy. We'll be back for you in the morning!" Then they began making their way down the streets of the Fire Nation city.

They began to notice a sort of eerie quiet fall as they passed by shops and vendors. The people stopped their conversations and watched the three benders as they progressed through the crowds. Momo was the only one unperturbed as he sat happily on Aang's shoulder.

"Does everyone here seem a little… odd to you?" Katara whispered in Aang's ear.

"I don't know," he muttered back, slipping his hand into hers. "I can't say they look thrilled to see us."

They continued on, smiling uneasily at the unabashed stares. As they got closer to the town center, something huge and looming met their eyes. "I completely forgot about that thing!" Katara exclaimed in shock.

"Oh…" Toph murmured awkwardly.

"The statue of Fire Lord Ozai," Aang stated with his mouth hanging open. "It's still even shooting out fire."

The all stopped wordlessly at the foot of the towering figure.

"Do you think Zuko knows about it?" Katara finally uttered.

"I have no idea," Aang said worriedly. "And I don't even know what it means that it's still here. Maybe it's nothing. It could just be meant as a memorial to the previous ruler and nothing more."

"Or it could mean exactly what you think it is!" yelled a gruff voice behind them.

They turned around quickly, startled out of their disturbed thoughts.

"I know who you are! You're the Avatar!" A bearded and uniformed official stood glaring at them, his huge finger pointed in Aang's face. "And I know who you are too!" he said, turning to Toph. "You're the Runaway! Don't think we've forgotten the trouble you caused here just because you're big shots now!"

"Look, Mr. uh… sir. We're very sorry for what we put your city through. We are here now only with a desire to create peace," Aang tried saying calmly. "If there's anything we can do-"

"You can pay for all the money you stole and the damages you caused and get the hell out here! Before I have a mind to throw your asses in jail!"

"Listen here, you old fart! If you think you're gonna push us around like that, you got another thing coming!"

"Toph, no!" Katara shrieked, pulling her back away from the angered official who seemed to be inflating before their eyes. "Sir, please forgive our friend. We completely understand your point of view and we want to do whatever it takes to solve our differences."

"Is that so? Well it's gonna take more money that you'll ever have to solve our differences, and your _friend_ here just made the price go up even higher!" the man continued to shout, this time advancing on Katara.

"Alright!" Aang finally roared back, stepping forward to place himself between the furious, bloated man and Katara. "Just tell us how much we owe you and we'll work it out!"

The official was silent for once. His red, sweaty face was twitching and his eyes were bulging as if he were trying to hold in a sneeze. Aang and Katara could only guess that he was trying to add up numbers in his brain, and it seemed to be giving him a really hard time.

"Ahem. That is, I'll have to take you to the law enforcement office. You'll work it out with them, and I'll stay there to make sure you cooperate!"

They followed him to a large square building with ornate columns on the front. He gestured for them to go inside and he walked in after them.

"These renegades are here to answer to the charges against them," their escort said to a man who was bent over some papers at a desk.

The man's eyes widened and the monocle fell from his face. "The Avatar!"

"Yes sir, I am. And my friends and I would like to know how far the city was put back when we were last here."

"The damages were quite extensive. Not to mention the amount of money that was recorded as being stolen from all the citizens who were bamboozled by the Runaway!" he cried, eyeing Toph.

"I didn't steal money from anyone. Most of them just lost it in a game of chance. I guess I'm just lucky," Toph shrugged.

"I don't know how you did it, but the alarming amount of testimonials from the people of this city is far too great to doubt."

"But the damages you're talking about weren't even our fault!" Katara added. "Those were caused by an assassin who was sent to kill Aang! You shouldn't expect us to pay for that."

"I don't see why we shouldn't. If he was after you, then you were the reason he was here. Therefore, your fault!"

"Just tell us how much it all is," Aang said looking aggravated.

"Let's see…" the man contemplated, going through some papers. "Ah! Here we are. The damages, plus money owed to the victims of thievery, plus fines for being wanted criminals… plus tax… it all adds up to 1,247 gold pieces."

"That's insane! How do you expect us to pay that?!"

"I'm sure I don't know, but you may want to figure that out soon. Before a price is put on all your heads."

"Oh, man! You do **not **know who you're talking to! Put anything on my head, and you're gonna find yourself in the land of pain, bozo!"

"Toph, we have to negotiate this nonviolently," Katara reminded her under her breath.

"Crud, I miss the good old days."

Aang stepped up to the man at the desk. "Sir, we're good friends with Fire Lord Zuko. Perhaps if we could speak to him about the money owed to the city-"

"No! What makes you think we want _him_ involved! This needs to be settled today!"

"But he's your leader! He should be involved; and anyway, he's the one who hired the… uh… actually, maybe I shouldn't mention that."

"Either you pay up or suffer the consequences!"

"FINE!" Toph marched up to desk, pulling something from her pouch and slamming it on the desk with a solid sounding THUD! On the desk sat a massive golden bracelet encrusted with what appeared to be diamonds. The man sat staring at the jewelry, dumbfounded. The official, who had been silent up to this point, came forward to stare as well.

"Is that gonna cover it?" he asked, confused.

The man at the desk placed the monocle back on his eye and held up the bracelet for further scrutiny. "I-it'll m-more than cover… I mean, ahem, I suppose it will do." He tucked the bracelet away in a drawer. "You are free to go."

"Finally," Toph huffed, making her way out the door.

"Where in the world did you get that?!" Katara demanded after she and Aang followed Toph outside.

"Oh, you know. A person picks up a few things when they get around."

"Really? Where do you pick up stuff like that?"

"Eh, I only had it because carrying around priceless jewelry is a heck of a lot easier than thousands of gold pieces."

"Um… wow," was all Aang managed to say.

**0o0o0o0o0**

All throughout the rest of the afternoon, Aang, Katara, and Toph continued to get weird looks from the townspeople. As darkness fell over the city, they found an inn and paid for their rooms. They couldn't help but notice that the innkeeper seemed hesitant to let them stay before she finally gave in to the sight of their gold coins.

"Maybe we're just going to keep running into this sort of thing no matter where we go in the Fire Nation," Katara suggested.

The three were sitting in the inn's dining room eating their meals before going up to bed.

"I sure hope you're wrong," Aang replied, looking troubled.

"Who cares what they think?" said Toph. "The Fire Nation's always been too stuck up for its own good."

"But it's more than just that. What about the statue of Ozai? And the way those guys responded when I mentioned Zuko? It's almost like… I don't know. Like nothing has changed." Aang looked down at his plate, his mind lost in thought.

"Are you really that oblivious, Avatar?"

They turned to the direction of the steely voice coming from the next table.

"Excuse me?"

The man sitting there was smiling nastily as he watched them with a hooded gaze. "Ozai may have been overthrown, but that doesn't mean all of his supporters have vanished."

"What do you mean? Ozai needed to be stripped from his power. People all over the world were suffering because of him, even in his own country. Zuko is his rightful heir and he's doing a really good job fixing what his father messed up."

"You may be all-powerful, kid, but you don't have a clue when it comes to politics. Just because that boy is our new Fire Lord, doesn't mean everyone wants him to be. I'd watch my back if I were you." The man stood up, left a few coins on his table, and walked out the door without another word or even a look back.

"I don't like this. I don't like it at all," Katara muttered uneasily, resting her hand on Aang's arm as she sought his gaze.

He stroked the back of her fingers reassuringly. "It'll be alright, but we do need to let Zuko know about this as soon as possible."

"Can you believe this?!" Toph suddenly sputtered angrily. "After all we've done, all we've sacrificed! We worked our asses off for this world and this is how it thanks us?! This whole day has been a nightmare!"

"Hold on, this is just one city," Katara said. "It doesn't mean we're going to keep on getting this kind of reaction. Also, it would be naïve of us to assume we could make everyone happy."

"But weren't you listening to that guy? He practically threatened us!"

"I have to admit it was pretty sketchy." Aang looked around anxiously "Let's go ahead and turn in so we can get an early start tomorrow."

**0o0o0o0o0**

While this conversation took place at the small table the three of them occupied, a man wearing black clothes sat unnoticed in the corner of the room, taking note of every detail. He watched them leave money on their table and begin to get up. He also stood and silently slipped out into the night, making his way to the messenger hawk post office.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The three companions went upstairs, still feeling shaken from the unsettling events of the day. They decided that under the circumstances, it would be safest for them to all sleep in the same room. After lying down on their individual pallets, Toph quickly fell asleep, snoring lightly. But Aang couldn't get that guy's final words out of his head.

_I'd watch my back if I were you._

He looked over at Katara lying on her side a few feet away with her back to him. She was so vulnerable looking when she was asleep. He felt his heart pang at the thought of someone trying to hurt her. After several minutes of watching her sleep, he finally resolved that he needed to just let himself move closer. He crawled off his sleeping mat and joined Katara on hers, lying on his side and wrapping his arms protectively around her as he pulled her to his chest.

She sighed in her sleep and smiled, as if any distress she had been feeling had suddenly disappeared.

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places._

_But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now_

_mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater."_

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings


	4. Chapter 4- Fear and Priorities

Holy cow, this chapter is long! I guess I just can't make myself shut up sometimes ;) So this is my first attempt at writing any kind of action scene. It's not a big one or anything, but if you have any thoughts on how good or bad I did, be a dear and let me know! Or if you just want to write a review regarding ANY aspect of the story, I would love you for it! Thanks again to the ones who have reviewed so far

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**Chapter 4**

**Fear and Priorities**

As decided the previous night, Aang, Katara, and Toph got up and started getting ready to leave very early the next morning, before the sun had even risen. Aang was in the process of shaving his head when Katara decided it would be a good idea to go down and thank the innkeeper one last time before they left, even though the hospitality they had received had been less than warm. She picked up a few coins so she could also give the woman a tip and headed downstairs.

She reached the empty landing and looked around thoughtfully. She knew the owner of an establishment like this must be already up and busy even this early. Deciding the kitchen would be a logical place to find her, she knocked on its door, and not hearing any reply slowly entered. There was something that seemed off to Katara. An inn this large with guests coming and going, and there wasn't anyone working in the kitchen? Not even a fire going in the grate yet. It was deadly quiet, and suddenly she felt her skin prickle in warning.

"I believe you were told to watch your back."

Reflexively, she whipped around and bent into a defensive position. A blast of fire shot towards her and she ducked to avoid it, looking around wildly for a source of water and cursing herself for leaving her water skin upstairs. She spotted a water pitcher sitting on a table, dodging yet another fire blast, she hurled herself at it. She summoned out the small amount of water and pulled it to her in a single sweeping movement. A tall figure clothed completely in black and wearing a face concealing mask advanced toward her, jumping up and punching the air to produce more fire. Instead of using up her limited amount of water to block the fire, she sidestepped her attacker and froze his arm to the wall, fleeing the room. She knew it wouldn't hold him longer than a minute or two.

"Aang!" she screamed out as she burst into the hallway, but then she stopped in her tracks. Another masked person stood, blocking the way to the stairs, and she had no more water. All she could do was run in the other direction, and her closest escape was the door leading to the alley behind the inn. She raced towards it, wrenching it open as more fire flew at her, and this time it managed to hit its target. She felt the blaze scorch the top of her arm as she pulled the door open and threw herself out of it. Yelling in pain, she almost stumbled to her knees, clutching her burned arm to her stomach. Katara staggered forward, still looking for any water to bend. She ran down the alley and turned a corner, knowing there were more firebenders pursuing her. As she ran through the maze of alleys, unaware of where she going, she heard an incredible commotion coming from the inn. It sounded like an explosion. Panicked thoughts kept running through her mind. _Where are Aang and Toph? Are they okay? Who are these people? Why are they doing this? Where is all the freaking water?!_

Finally she spotted a barrel that she sensed was filled to the brim with filthy yet wonderful water. She reached it just in time as three more masked firebenders caught up with her. Without a second thought, she pulled out every last drop of liquid the barrel contained and hurled it at them with all the strength she had. In an instant, the wave extinguished all traces of fire from the air and slammed into the firebenders with such a force that it knocked them all the way back to the end of the alley.

Katara looked around, breathing hard and completely lost. Her instinct was to head back to the inn to find Aang, but she had no idea where it was. She heard the sound of running footsteps getting closer, and her arm was killing her. She knew she wouldn't be able to outrun anyone for long, so she slipped around another corner and hid in the shadow of a column of bricks, doing her best not to take great heaving breaths like she wanted to.

"Which way did she go?"

"I don't know. Leave no corner unchecked!"

She held her breath, expecting any moment to see a dark figure walk up to her hiding spot.

All of a sudden, Aang dropped down in front of her from the rooftop. He flattened himself up against her, his arms braced on the wall on either side of her as she felt him trembling all over. The breath escaped her lungs in a rush of relief.

She grabbed onto his face, framing it with her hands as she stared into his eyes with unearthly focus. "Are you okay?" she questioned him.

He was unable or unwilling to speak. He just stared back at her as if he was trying to consume her with his eyes, and she saw an emotion in them, burning bright as the sun, that she understood and reciprocated absolutely. That nothing mattered more to them than the other's safety.

"There! I see both of them!"

"You idiot! Don't try to get both of th-"

Faster than she could blink, Aang threw out his arm to the approaching figures, and a huge chunk of earth flew up out the ground. With a single shove of his hand, the mass was rocketed in their direction with lightning speed.

Not bothering to check if the assailants had been flattened or had managed duck, Aang picked Katara up and leapt into the air, landing on the roof above them. Still holding her tightly, he took off in an airbending run, hurdling from rooftop to rooftop as he headed to the edge of the city.

She wanted to ask about Toph, but at the speed they were going, the volume of wind was far too great to achieve any audible words.

They soon landed on the ground and in no time were back where they had left Appa the day before. Toph was already in the saddle with Momo and yelled, "yip, yip!" as she heard them join her on Appa's back in a substantial gust of wind.

The bison rumbled, understanding that this was an urgent situation, and quickly took off into the air.

Aang still held on to Katara, his face pressed into her neck as he breathed deeply, inhaling her scent as if drinking her in. She didn't mind. She held him even tighter, savoring the feel of his pounding heartbeat, and knowing hers was beating just as hard.

"Are you guys okay?" Toph asked unsurely.

"I think so," Katara said shakily.

"Did they hurt you?" Aang pulled himself away to ask her while trying to look her over.

"My arm got burned, but other than that I'm fine. What about you two?"

"I'm good," Toph said simply.

Aang gently grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her arm up for his inspection. For a moment, the look on his face became murderous, but then it turned back into concern as he met her eyes again. "We need some water."

"Aren't there tons of rivers around here?" Toph reminded them.

Aang let go of Katara so he could jump on Appa's head to lead them down to the nearest water source.

They landed far away from Fire Statue City next to a calm section of river. Aang unnecessarily helped Katara down and walked her to the riverside. She knelt down, immersing her blistering arm in the cool, soothing water and immediately felt it begin to heal as she sighed in pleasure.

She looked over at Aang's intense gaze on her arm and couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. You didn't tell me if you were hurt or not."

"Just some bruises I think."

"Let me see." She lifted her arm from the river, bringing out some water with it and set her hand on his skin as she let the healing properties flow through his body, feeling them fix a bit more than just a few bruises.

"Thanks," he sighed.

"Okay, what the crap was all that back there?" Toph blurted out, dropping down beside them.

"It was like an ambush out of nowhere," Aang said, hollowly. "All of a sudden they were coming through the door and from the windows, and I had no idea where you were!" His eyes turned to Katara's accusingly.

"I had just gone downstairs for a minute! But it was like you said. They were just suddenly there."

"Even after all this time, we still can't trust the Fire Nation!" Toph exclaimed.

"We can be pretty sure it wasn't an attack from the Fire Nation itself, because that would mean Zuko was involved," Aang replied. "Remember what that guy said last night? Not all of Ozai's supporters have vanished. I think they may have just made their reappearance."

Katara stared back at him gravely. "Then that means were not safe in any of the Fire Nation towns. We have to get to the palace as soon as possible now. Zuko needs to be told about this right away."

They got ready to take off again. Toph went ahead and climbed into Appa's saddle, but as Katara made to follow her, she felt Aang's grip on her hand tighten slightly and pull her back, and she turned to see him staring at her with an unfulfilled need for reassurance in his eyes. Without a word, she answered his pulling with a pull of her own as they became intertwined in an intimate embrace. Their lips met in a crushing need to feel one another, and to know without a doubt that the other was there and was safe. Aang's hands were on Katara's lower back, pulling her up and into him. Her arms were locked around his neck, and she was doing all she could to let him know how much she loved him with the desperate kiss. Each craving more, but each knowing that this wasn't the proper time.

"Just 'cause I can't see, doesn't mean I don't know what you're doing!" called down an annoyed Toph.

Unwillingly they released each other. Aang brought up his hand to touch her face and softly kissed her one more time before airbending both of them to his usual spot on Appa's head.

"Yip,yip!"

They took off in the direction of the Fire Nation Capital with the light of the rising sun hitting their backs.

Aang and Katara kept their hands firmly interlocked.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"I think those are the lights from the capital!"

The sky was very dark, as they had kept on traveling well into the night to reach the capital. Aang knew Appa was exhausted from flying for so long.

"What is it?" Katara mumbled sleepily as she lifted her head from Aang's shoulder.

"We're almost there."

"Oh good. Toph, are you awake?"

"Fwhuh-ugh," a groggy voice came from somewhere behind them.

They soared up the dormant volcano and over the city it contained to the palace in its center, landing in a soft, grassy courtyard that was always set aside for the Avatar's sky bison.

"Raawwwrrrr…" Appa let out happily as he lay down.

"That's right, boy. You just rest now. Thanks for getting us here so fast," Aang told the already snoring bison.

Some guards came up to meet them. "Avatar Aang! Ladies Katara and Toph, welcome! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. I'm afraid the Fire Lord has already retired for the night, unless you need to speak with him right away?"

"No, that's okay," Aang assured them. "We do have some news for him, but it might be best to wait until morning."

"Very well, we will escort you to your chambers."

They followed the guards down the torch lit corridors.

"Excuse me," Katara asked the guards as they walked along. "My family hasn't arrived from the South Pole yet, have they?"  
"I'm afraid not, Lady Katara. They were expected a couple of days ago, but they seem to be running late. Don't worry; many times ships are slowed down by delays at sea. Here we are. This room is yours, Avatar, and this door across the hall leads to your room, Lady Katara. The door next to it is yours, Lady Toph."

"You're lucky I'm too tired to kick your butt for calling me 'Lady.' I'll let it slide for now."

"Um… of course… my apologies, Miss Toph. Let us know if you need anything. We will be on duty all night."

"Thank you," Aang said as the guards departed.

"Well goodnight, lovebirds. If you need anything, then don't ask me," Toph called over her shoulder as she disappeared behind the embellished door.

Katara's sleepy eyes met Aang's. "We don't have to sleep in separate rooms you know," she said quietly, reaching up to place her hand on his cheek.

"Actually, I'm not going to sleep right now. There are some things I can't get off my mind, and I feel like I should do some meditating."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I really need to work it out on my own."

"Oh. Okay. Well… just let me know if you change your mind," she murmured uncertainly as he avoided looking in her eyes.

"I will. Go on and get some sleep." He gave her a swift kiss and turned to go into his room.

She watched him with concern as he shut the door, and then went tiredly into her own room. Her thoughts swimming with confusion at the abrupt way he had dismissed her.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The next day Katara got up and knocked on Aang's door. When there was no answer, she went over to Toph's door and, upon hearing the steady snoring on the other side, decided to go look around to see who she could find.

"Hey, Katara."

She looked up at the sound of the quiet, slightly hoarse voice call her name.

"Hi, Mai! It's so good to see you!" Katara walked up to the pale, pretty girl, smiling in greeting. The two of them would most likely never become best friends, but they got along really well. A long time ago they had recognized that they had something in common. They were both used to having to be the voice of reason to their friends, and sometimes the only ones able to remain calm under pressure.

"I was on my way to come tell you, Zuko wants to meet with all of you in the council room in about an hour. Aang already knows, but could you let Toph know?"

"Sure. Where is Aang, by the way?"

"Some guards said that he left earlier this morning on his glider, but they told him about the meeting and he said he would be there."

"Well it was so considerate of him to let me know he'd be gone for half the day," Katara grumbled in frustration.

Mai laughed. "I wouldn't think too much of it. Zuko's always so busy, I'm lucky if he tells me when he's going to leave the country for a few days."

Somehow Mai's comment didn't make Katara feel any better. She remembered how Aang had been acting when he kissed her goodnight. She had gotten used to him doing this. For the past couple of years now, whenever they had to get out of a sticky situation he would seem distant for a little while, but then he would always snap out it. This last incident however, was the stickiest situation they had gotten themselves into in a long time. Whatever was bothering him couldn't be good.

She went to go wake Toph, and they both wandered around the palace for a while until someone pointed out the way to the council room. As they walked, Katara wasn't able to stop herself from glancing out the windows to search the sky.

When they arrived, they walked in to find Zuko already occupying the room and speaking with several of his advisors. As soon as he saw them, he broke off his conversation and came to greet them.

"It's been too long," he said to both of them with a warm smile.

"It certainly has," Katara smiled back, pulling him into a hug.

Toph punched him good naturedly in the arm. "Don't wait so long to invite us again, Mister Fire Lord."

"Ow! Hey, you know you're always welcome," he replied with a laugh, but grimacing all the same. "Is Aang on his way?"

"I guess he'll be here soon. I haven't really seen him since last night."

"So are you going to explain the reason for the midnight arrival?"

"I think we should wait for Aang before we start talking about that. It's a long story."

"Yes it is," announced Aang earnestly as he entered the room. "It's good to see you, Zuko, but we have something we need to discuss with you right away."

As they all sat down, Katara watched Aang carefully, noting that he still seemed more detached than normal. But she let those thoughts drift to the back of her mind as she and Toph helped him describe the events of the previous morning. Zuko listened with grave silence as they told him about the surprise attack of the masked firebenders and about the alarming words from the city officials and the shadowy character in the inn before it happened.

"I'm not sure how to make sense of it all," Aang worded carefully. "But it's clear that it wasn't a random attack. They were all highly trained fighters, and they waited until we were separated before they initiated." He clenched his jaw as he spoke the last sentence.

"It's all connected," added Katara. "That man implied that Ozai still had active supporters, and one of the men who fought me repeated something else he said. We're worried about what this means to your throne and the peace we've all worked so hard to build."

"And it could be spreading to other towns," Toph pointed out.

Zuko brought his folded hands up to his chin as he said grimly, "I'm sad to say this news you're giving me doesn't come as a shock. For a few weeks now we've been getting reports of the existence of a loyalist group in the Fire Nation who have been challenging my right to the throne and who are resisting the changes we are trying to make. This includes any involvement of the Avatar. They call themselves 'The Loyal Ones,' meaning that they are still loyal to my father. It's not large enough to categorize it as a full scale uprising, but it definitely can't go on unchecked."

"Zuko, I'm willing to assist in whatever way you need me to fix this problem. Are there any plans being made yet?"

"Thank you, Aang. We don't have anything planned for sure yet. I want to wait until my uncle gets here before finalizing anything, but there's something else. Despite the tight security detail I've had arranged for Azula, it seems she's somehow been sending secret messages; it could be that she's involved with the Loyal Ones. Not that she's in any kind of mental condition to actually do anything effective."

"I'm so sorry, Zuko," Katara offered sympathetically. "This constant opposition with members of your family has to be… I mean, I can't even imagine. Especially now, with it being the week of the big celebration."

"About that, I don't know if we should continue as planned with everything that's been happening," said Zuko somberly.

"I think we should," Aang responded resolutely. "We still have a lot to be grateful for, and there are tons of people now loyal to you. They deserve to have some fun. We all do."

"You're right," Zuko finally smiled. "That's what Uncle would say."

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid."_

― Frederick Buechner


	5. Chapter 5- Conflict Resolution

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope you have fun reading it! Also, I just want to apologize for the shameful lack of Sokka in this story so far, but I gaurantee that he will make an appearance! Eventually!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Conflict Resolution**

After their meeting with Zuko, Aang was the first to leave, pausing briefly to tell Katara that he'd be meeting with the Fire Sages and to ask her to take care of Momo. It was sort of true. The sages had requested to see him so they could ask his opinion on the construction of a new temple, but he didn't anticipate it taking more than ten minutes. He knew he was confusing her, and maybe even hurting her with his avoidance, and it just added to his overwhelming guilt.

This was so stupid! He was supposed to learn how to clear all this stuff up ages ago with Guru Pathik, but when he started having trouble with one particular chakra and ignored it, he started having trouble with his other chakras as well. One by one, they were all locking up again, and it was all because he let that stupid thought chakra get to him again.

_You must learn to let her go._

_Yeah, easy for you to say. I don't see your hot girlfriend hanging around and keeping you from reaching spiritual enlightenment. _

After the end of the war, Katara had stayed with him and his feelings for her had only continued to strengthen. Then a day had come when he had tried to access the Avatar State, but he wasn't able to do it. It hadn't been a life threatening situation, but he wouldn't have minded the extra power of a thousand Avatars to help him keep that cave from collapsing. And all he had been able to do at the time was picture Katara's face when he closed his eyes to focus on forgetting about her.

He had known that it was only a matter of time until they would be in real danger, and then he'd be screwed. And of course, now it had happened. Thankfully there had been no serious injuries. This time.

Feeling like a horrible person, and an even worse Avatar, he trudged his way over to the least intriguing temple of all time.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Fire Lord Zuko. General Iroh and the Earth King have arrived from Ba Sing Se."

"Thank you, Captain. Where are they now?"

"Er, the Earth King and his bear had to retire as soon as they arrived due to 'extreme physical and spiritual fatigue.' Your uncle said he would meet you for tea in the Lily Garden."

Zuko rolled his eyes and smiled to himself. He would never understand Uncle's fascination with tea and flowers.

As Zuko stepped out onto the manicured walkways, he saw his uncle and Mai, already greeting each other.

"Zuko, my beloved nephew!" Uncle Iroh immediately came over to seize him in a crushing hug. "When are you finally going to give me the pleasure of calling this wonderful lady my niece?"

"Uncle…" Zuko stammered, embarrassed. "I've been really busy… with… peace stuff."

"What? That's no excuse to put off the most important day of your life."

"It's okay, Iroh," Mai said, patting the old man's shoulder and smirking at Zuko. "I won't let him wait too long."

"Thank you, Mai. That gives me much comfort. Ah! It looks like they are getting the tea ready. Wait a minute! That's not how you add tea leaves!" Iroh exclaimed, dashing for the tea table that was being arranged on the veranda.

Mai chuckled as Zuko turned to her saying, "Do you really mean that? You would marry me?"

"Sure, why not? There aren't that many people I can stand to be in a room with for more than five minutes."

"Then… you will-"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "Let's not do the whole proposal thing right now, especially not surrounded by flowers and butterflies. It's kind of making me sick."

He gazed at the beautiful, non-conforming girl that had him completely smitten, a corner of his mouth turning up. "Okay. You just name the time and place. And atmosphere."

"I'll let you know," she grinned back, turning to head into the palace.

"Zuko, come and join me. I managed to rescue the tea!"

**0o0o0o0o0**

Katara went and retrieved Momo from Aang's room, and then proceeded to wander around the palace grounds with the lemur perched on her shoulder. Toph had gone into town to "see about some finances." Whatever that meant. Everyone else had things to do as well, so Katara found herself with nothing to do and no one to talk to. She had been expecting and looking forward to spending some time with Gran Gran, but that was going to have to wait too. She was antsy and depressed. Aang was usually the one who kept her out that state, and he was never the reason for her being in it in the first place.

As she continued her aimless stroll, Katara was drawn to a large fountain in one of the courtyards. She sat down on its low stone wall, taking peace from the flowing water. On the other side of the fountain were two children about six years old. She mused that they must be children of servants as she observed them splash each other playfully. Suddenly getting an Aang-inspired idea, she let her hand drift down into the water and bended a thin stream up into the air, making it spin around her in circles as Momo starting chirping loudly and tried to grab it out of the air while hopping on her shoulder. The kids watched excitedly, and Katara smiled as they began laughing gleefully at the little show she was putting on for them.

But almost at once they quit laughing, and Katara was startled to see them suddenly staring at her in fright. The children emitted terrified whimpers and ran away before she could ask them what was wrong.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite _waterbender_," a cold, spine-tingling voice sounded behind her.

She turned around to discover why the children had acted so afraid.

If Katara hadn't seen that face from mere inches away, frozen in mid attack two years ago, she never would have recognized Princess Azula. She was still dressed in the rich fabrics of Fire Nation royalty, but her arms were being confined to her body with chains crisscrossing over her torso. Her face was sunken in and lined with stress. Her hair was sticking up, and her eyes were wild and currently boring a hole through Katara's head. Azula was being escorted by four armed guards across the courtyard, but she stopped in her tracks at the sight of the one person who had finally bested her.

"What do you think you're doing here?! I rule this kingdom! ME! You can't honestly think I'd give into you that easily!" The princess screamed at her as Katara stared in shock. When had it become this bad?

Abruptly, Azula snapped her head around to stare at a large vase. "Shut up! You're always saying that!" Her guards began to push her along again as she tried to thrash away from them. "No! NOOO! YOU'RE ALL BANISHED!"

**0o0o0o0o0**

Zuko sat with his uncle and sipped his tea, as he had done so many times before. It always succeeded in having a calming effect on him.

"How are things going in the tea shop, Uncle?"

"It's going wonderfully. It's the most successful tea shop in all of Ba Sing Se!" Uncle smiled happily. "Of course that means it's always very busy as well. I have to hire lots of servers to keep up with all the orders, and they do a fine job, but I'd give anything to have my favorite assistant working by my side again. He will be impossible to replace."

"I'd be happy to help again the next time I come to visit."

"That would be much appreciated, Nephew. Everyone will want to come to the Jasmine Dragon to be served by the Fire Lord! I'll have to sell tickets!" He laughed heartily. "But now tell me how things are going here."

"Well, lately things haven't been going so well. Azula seems to be regressing more and more every day, and I just found out she's been contacting someone outside the palace. And then there's this new group that's been growing in our own nation, rebelling against my right to rule them."

"Yes," Iroh answered solemnly. "The Loyal Ones. I have heard of them. What do you plan to do?"

Zuko set his teacup on the table with a feeling of hopelessness. "I don't know, Uncle. I was hoping you would have some advice to give me."

"What about your advisors? Do you trust what they say?"

"I do trust them, but… I'm still the one who has to make the decision, and I'm not sure what's right." He paused and looked away from his uncle, feeling the shame of uncertainty. "Maybe the Loyal Ones are right after all. Perhaps I'm not fit to lead this nation."

"Zuko. No one can lead a country successfully without coming across disapproval. It means you are decisive. If not a single person opposes your ideas, then that should tell your ideas are not worth anything."

Zuko lifted his head to meet Iroh's eyes, once again amazed at the clarity his uncle always presented.

Uncle Iroh continued, "Opposition can be your friend, it's what makes you stronger. Don't run from it, learn from it. Success is measured by the courage you maintain even when the odds are stacked against you. You've always done well with this, my nephew, but now it is harder because you have so much more responsibility. But I know you have the strength."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Aang had finished looking the temple over several hours ago, and he knew he should go now and find Katara. But he couldn't bring himself to face her. She would demand to know what was wrong with him and he wouldn't be able to tell her that it was her fault he was like this. He found himself wishing he could talk to Roku, but what if he tried summoning him and failed at that too?

He walked down hallway after hallway as the sun began to set. He didn't pay much attention to where he was going. Somehow, he had unknowingly wandered out onto a small outdoor balcony that was positioned over a pathway lined with trees. Looking out over the railing, Aang began to feel some sort of recognition. As if he'd been here before, even though he knew he hadn't.

"Hello, Aang," a deep, echoing voice greeted him.

Aang turned sharply to the side. "Roku!" he yelped in surprise at the transparent figure. "How are you here? I wasn't trying to summon you."

"In a way, you did. You wished to speak with me and you came to this place which I often visited in my youth."

"Why did you come here?"

"I came here to watch Ta Min before I worked up the courage to speak to her. She used to walk down that pathway every day at sunset. But enough about me now, something has been troubling you."

"Yeah, there is. I've lost the ability to reach the Avatar State, and I don't know how to fix it. My seventh chakra was the hardest one for me to open the first time I did it, but now it's locked again. I keep trying, but it's impossible! I love Katara more than anything, and now more than ever. It's unfathomable to me why I should have to let her go! Why does that have to be a requirement?!" He shouted the last part angrily, scowling at Roku.

Then Aang dropped the tone of his voice, feeling despair. "When I did it back in Ba Sing Se, it was because I was caught in a dilemma, I either had to let her go or lose her forever. But now… how am I supposed to stop loving her? How did you stop loving Ta Min?"

"Aang, letting go of whatever attaches you to the world does not mean that you are turning your back on the one you love. It simply means that you let go of your selfish desire for that person, at least temporarily. If you were to go into the Avatar State again, it would not be a betrayal of Katara. Real love cannot end by willing it so. In fact, love is strongest of all when it is completely selfless."

Aang couldn't speak. He stared at Roku unblinkingly, silently begging him to say more.

"It is true," the spirit continued. "When you put aside your earthly ties and needs, you do it for the good of the world and the people you care about the most, and the love becomes stronger. Remember this, and let it help you the next time you must let her go. Let her go and love her more."

Aang watched as Roku's image faded with the last bit of sunlight as it sunk below the horizon.

**0o0o0o0o0**

After giving up on trying to find Aang, Katara finally went to her room, thinking he might decide to pay her a visit. And then she would let him have it.

She entered the room and nearly jumped out of her skin to see someone standing on her windowsill. A second later she realized it was Aang, and her shock changed into anger.

"Are you trying to snub me _and_ scare me to death?!" she questioned, walking over to him with a scowl on her face. A pleasing thought crossed her mind at the idea of pushing him out the window. Not that it would hurt him anyway.

"Katara, I'm sorry I've been ignoring you all day. There's something I need to try, and I need you to come with me." He held out his hand to her.

"Out the window?"

"Yes."

He held up his staff, twirling it around to make the wings pop out. "Come on, we've done this plenty of times."

"Okay," she sighed, joining him on the windowsill as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

She held onto him and the glider tightly, feeling the usual rush of anticipation despite her still offended feelings. Together, they soared out over the many buildings, her heart jumped in her chest at the thrill of it. She loved the incredible sensation of freedom caused by the wind blowing her problems right out of her mind. Nothing but the endless, twilight sky that glowed a teal-blue out in front of them, and all the things still on the earth becoming smaller and smaller.

Katara's annoyance dissolved into nothing, and she tilted her head to watch Aang curiously. He was staring straight ahead of them, and she wondered where it was he wanted to take her so badly. They left Caldera City and the inside of the dormant volcano, and kept flying out into the countryside. Eventually they landed in an isolated clearing somewhere in the woods.

"So what's going on?" Katara asked shortly after their feet touched the ground.

"First of all, I want you know that I haven't just been brushing you off," he said, stepping away from her. "I've been kind of preoccupied and it's because I'm having trouble with my chakras."

"Oh, right… those things," she said, crossing her arms.

"I haven't really told you, but for a long time now I haven't been able to go into the Avatar State. And at first I thought it was your fault, but now I know it was me. Don't look at me like that, I'm explaining! To open my seventh chakra, I have to let go of whatever attaches me to the world, you. So you can imagine how I feel knowing that I have to disconnect myself from the most important part of my life."

He started pacing around the small clearing, not looking at anything in particular as he continued, "I kept ignoring it because I didn't want to admit that something was wrong. But then we were ambushed and I couldn't find you. I was fighting all those guys off and helping Toph get out the window so she could fight them on the ground outside, and you could have been anywhere fighting them too. Then I heard you scream. And I tried, I tried harder than ever to reach the Avatar State, but I still couldn't do it. All I could do was take the roof off the building to come find you."

He stopped pacing, facing her with determination. "But just a little while ago, I was talking to Roku, and he helped me to see it from a different perspective. I'm going to try controlling the Avatar State again, and I want you to be here when I do it."

He moved closer to her and gently held her face between his hands. "But I'm not going to stop loving you. I have to stop wanting you, and it'll be hard, but I have to because you'll be better off and so will the rest of the world."

He stared into her eyes one more time, and then let her go to walk over to the center of the clearing. He sat on the ground in the lotus position while she stood off to the side, watching in awe. He straightened his back, closed his eyes, and folded his hands in front of him.

Aang breathed deeply and began with the first chakra. One by one, he focused on and opened each of the first six. Then he concentrated on his worldly connection. He saw her in his mind, the love of his life. He saw her waterbending. He saw her laughing. He saw her twirling around in his arms as they danced. He saw her close her eyes as she leaned towards his lips. And then, focusing on the energy at the crown of his head, he let her image flow away. He was doing this for her. She was there with him, standing not far away. He had to do this so that he could be the Avatar. So that he could try to be worthy of her.

As the final chakra opened, he felt the amazing surge of power flow all the way through him like a mighty river, but he was in complete control of it. He opened his eyes, seeing the world with 1000 times the clarity and producing a blinding light as the Avatar energy was revealed through him. Using the full spirit of Avatar, he bent the air around him and effortlessly rose up into the sky without the use of his glider.

He remained suspended for a few moments, letting the strength and knowledge sink into him before slowly descending back to the earth. When he made contact with the ground again, he purposefully let go of the power and felt it slide away back into the universe, ready to be called back when it was needed.

Katara watched all of this happen with wide eyes and that familiar feeling of pride and wonderment in Aang and her insignificance in comparison. What was she doing with him? She was just a girl from the Water Tribe. But she knew nothing would ever tear her away from him.

When she was sure that it was over, Katara made her way to his side and grasped his hand. Aang looked at her and smiled. "Thank you," he told her.

"Why did you need me to be here?"

"I wanted to make sure I could do it, even if you were just a few feet away."

"Well there's no doubting that now," she said breathlessly, still staring at him in awe.

He squeezed her hand affectionately, blushing a little with modesty at her blunt words of praise. "Let's go back; it's getting late."

Katara knew it was late, but she felt wide awake. And as they flew back over the trees to return to the palace, she was fully aware of him. His muscles moving against her, his chest moving as he breathed, his heartbeat, and even his smell. And she was definitely aware of his hand placed very high up on her stomach. Her nerve endings were on high alert and she suddenly felt very warm despite the cool air.

Aang pulled the glider up as they reached her window and they both landed inside the dark bedroom. His arm was still wrapped around her as he looked down at her with half lidded eyes.

Katara was the one to break the silence, "So you said you were going to stop wanting me in the Avatar State. Is there any possibility that you want me now?"

"Baby, you have no idea," he groaned, pushing her up against the wall.

His mouth came down on hers to let her know just how badly he wanted her, his hands trailing lower and lower down her back. Earlier, he had thought it would be impossible to let this need for her go, but somehow he had done it. And now that he was back, his need for her had multiplied, and she had no idea how crazy she was making him, pushing her body up against his and kissing him with that wild passion he adored her for.

Her hands slid up his chest, around his shoulders, and up to his neck so she could pull herself up closer to him. She tried standing on her tip toes, and then hiked up her right leg around his hip. He moaned into the kiss, pulling up her other leg to join the first and lifting her higher up on the wall so that both her legs were wrapped around his waist. She gave an answering moan and deepened the kiss, trailing her fingers down the path of his arrow.

Aang couldn't help smiling against her lips as a thought occurred to him. He would gladly go into the Avatar State again and again, as long as this was what happened afterwards.

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." _

― William Shakespeare

* * *

**EDIT: **I just wanted to add something about this particular chapter; the whole deal with Aang once again losing the ability to go into the Avatar State, was my way of delving into the issue of the chakras, which I was left unsatisfied with how little they were discussed in the show. The idea of Aang having to choose the Avatar State over Katara just didn't sit right with me, and I was hoping that they would explain it better before the end of the finale, but they didn't :(. So after (literally) hours of trying to figure this out so it would make sense in my brain, I came up with what "letting her go" might have really meant, and how it may have been resolved. If you have any thoughts about this as well, please share them! I would love any responses.


	6. Chapter 6- Cool Like Fire

I feel I need to say something about Sokka's role in this story. When I first began writing this, it was not my intention to leave him out so much. That's just how it kinda worked out *shrugs* Don't get me wrong, Sokka is one of my absolute favs, and I love him! But I guess I just sort of had this image in my head of him wanting to be super involved with tribe duties, what with him always being the dedicated warrior and what not. But hark! What light through yonder window breaks? It is Sokka! He has arrived for the much talked about party scene! Isn't that just like him?

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Cool Like Fire**

"A small fleet of Water Tribe ships have just arrived in the harbor, Sir," a guard announced while Zuko, Iroh, Mai, Aang, Katara, and Toph were all seated at breakfast the next day.

A wide smile spread across Katara's face as she jumped up to go meet her family on the docks.

"Wait up!" Aang called as he ran after her.

"Is it just me, or are the two of them a lot happier than they were yesterday?" Zuko asked.

Iroh chuckled, "Love has a way of doing that to young people."

"Ugh, don't even get me started, Iroh," Toph grumbled. She had the displeasure of being the only one who knew that Aang and Katara had been playing footsie under the table all morning.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Aang, let's take Appa down to the harbor so Gran Gran can ride him back up," Katara said as he caught up to her.

"Sounds like a plan."

They made their way down the volcano and Katara could barely contain her excitement. She had missed being able to see anyone in her family for the past few months, but she was especially thrilled to see her sweet Gran Gran. They had exchanged a few letters but it couldn't substitute talking face to face. As Appa landed by the docks and they jumped to the ground, there was already a group of people dressed in the traditional blue clothing of the Water Tribe standing around the boats.

"Katara!"

Before she knew it, she was swept up into the strong arms of her older brother, and she hugged him back just as tightly.

"How was the voyage? Did Gran Gran manage okay?" she asked earnestly as they released each other.

"Katara, there's something I have to tell you," he began, looking at her somberly. "Gran Gran wasn't able to come with me. She's not doing so well."

She felt her heart catch in her throat. "Oh no. Sokka, what's wrong with her?"

"It's some kind of sickness. The healers weren't really sure what it is, but they're doing all they can."

Aang stood there, listening to their conversation in silence. Now he watched Katara carefully. She was trying to be strong, but he saw her chin tremble. She had been so excited and now all of a sudden she was being given heartbreaking news, and his heart broke for her. He touched her back and for an instance he got a glimpse of her devastated face before she covered it with her hands and rolled into his chest. He surrounded her with his arms and kissed the top of her head.

Sokka spoke up, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, she's in really good hands."

Katara sniffed and wiped her face as she turned back around to face him. "It's about time I went home. I want to go with you when you go back so I can take care of her."

"Actually, I'm not going back for a while." Sokka admitted. "After I'm done here, I'm heading up to the North Pole in Pakku's place. He was planning to go up there soon to go over some Tribe diplomacies, but he asked me to go so he could stay with Gran Gran."

"We'll go together on Appa," Aang assured her.

She smiled at him gratefully.

"Hey, Katara," Suki said soothingly, coming up to give her a hug. "I'm sorry about your grandmother, but I wouldn't worry too much. She's one tough lady!"

"Thanks, Suki. What did you think of the South Pole?"

Katara and Aang watched Sokka and Suki look at each other out of the corner of their eyes, both with secret smiles on their faces.

"It was really cold," Suki finally muttered.

"Except at nigh- ouch!" Sokka shrieked as Suki jabbed his kidney.

"Yeah, but the fur blankets were really warm though!" Suki said brightly.

"Aang, Buddy!" Sokka cried as he grabbed him in a hug. "You been looking out for her?"

"Of course, it's great to see you, Sokka," Aang said, hugging him back.

"And what have you two been doing to occupy yourselves?" Sokka asked with a suspicious tone.

"Well, we've been traveling through the Earth Kingdom since you left."

"What about Toph? Did she beat anyone up?"

"We still don't really know what she was up to. She's been kind of mysterious," Katara replied.

"What?! So let me get this straight. You two were traveling together. Alone?!"

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Fire Lord Zuko."

"I've come to see my sister."

"Yes sir." The men guarding the large double doors began removing the heavily enforced locks and bowed out of the way as he went through.

Zuko made his way down the dark hallway to the lone door at the end and rapped on it with his knuckles. A servant opened it and upon seeing who he was, wordlessly beckoned him forth.

"How is she today?"

"She's been rather quieter than usual."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know, Sir. It could be any number of things."

"Hmm. Where is she now?"

"She has been most of the day in her bedroom. She seems partial to the view out her window in there."

"Get her ready. I want to speak to her."

"Yes sir."

After the preparations had been made, Zuko walked slowly into the room, eyes zeroed in on Azula. She was standing in the middle of the room, her hands and feet confined.

"What do you want, Filth?"

"I heard you ran into Katara yesterday."

"So that's why you have me _shackled _like a dog? You're nothing more than a sniveling coward."

"Azula, I don't enjoy doing it, but you always have to be chained when I come to see you, otherwise you would try to kill me. There can't be another outburst like yesterday, or you're going to lose your spa privileges."

She glared at him, and he saw something in her eyes snap. All at once, she tried to lunge at him, straining at the bonds behind her back with all her might as a blood curdling scream erupted from her lungs.

"YOU'RE PATHETIC! HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ME! I WILL RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND BUILD A SPA FROM YOUR BONES!

As he watched her fit slowly die out, he felt a turbulence of emotions. He hated her. She had always made his life hell. And yet, something inside him made him see her as just a little girl who had somehow become broken, and he pitied her. No, it was more than pity. It was a deep sadness that made him want to weep at the loss of the loving sister he never had. It wrenched his heart to see her as she began sobbing hoarsely, desperate and shaking with rage.

A couple of servants hurried into the room and began trying to calm her down. "Sir, it might be best if you leave now."

"Yes," his voice croaked as he shielded his eyes from their sight.

But then he noticed her barred window as he made to leave. He quickly stepped over to it and looked out. From this vantage he could see the western part of the city. Why was she so fascinated with this window?

**0o0o0o0o0**

Aang and Katara entered the palace with Sokka and Suki, and they immediately ran into Toph.

"Hey, long time no see, Squirt!" Sokka exclaimed, slinging an arm around Toph's shoulders and ruffling her hair.

"Ha ha, that's a funny way to address someone you're about to bow down and start worshipping," she retorted, angling her head out of the way.

"Well I won't deny I missed you, but worshipping is a little extreme, don't you think?"

"We'll see. Gotcha a little something." She pulled the space sword from behind her back.

Sokka's eyes became humongous as he grabbed it, pulled it out of its sheath, put it back in, and then hugged it to him.

"What the- oh my- how did- ! I'll never let you out of my sight again, you beautiful work of my blood, sweat, and tears! My beloved! Toph… I love you."

"I know, I know. Happy early Birthday… or late birthday… heh, I don't know when your birthday is."

**0o0o0o0o0**

The night of the big celebration arrived and hundreds of people filled the huge open air pavilion. The group of friends all sat at their assigned table, excluding Zuko who was standing up, obligated to speak with every city leader who wanted a word with him. There weren't many people who had wanted to speak with Aang, most of them didn't seem to know what they should say to him.

"This party blows," Toph stated. "You know, there's really a big misconception in the Earth Kingdom about Fire Nation parties. You would think that they would be more… I don't know… lively?"

"They used to be," Aang muttered with his chin in his hand.

They were all really bored. There was nothing going on but people sitting in their chairs or standing awkwardly, all having stiff and formal conversations. The band was playing something mournful sounding, and everyone just seemed so placid, like it was all routine.

"You mean back in your day?" Katara teased him.

"Well yeah. The Fire Nation people used to throw the best parties in the world. I guess when Sozin started his takeover, everything became about war and having fun was forgotten about," Aang said thoughtfully. "Hang on, I'm gonna try something." He got up and walked off hurriedly.

Katara smiled to herself, knowing he had something crazy up his sleeve. She loved how his spontaneity always kept her guessing.

"Ah, children, there you are!" King Kuei said as he suddenly appeared next to their table with Bosco in tow.

"Children?" Sokka repeated, his dignity wounded.

"I'm glad to see you all again," Kuei continued. "This is quite a lovely party, is it not? Thank goodness everyone is behaving themselves! I'm going to be arranging a little meeting with the Fire Lord soon to discuss further tactics between our countries and I would appreciate the Avatar's presence. Would you let him know for me? Now mind yourselves! We don't want any embarrassments, do we, Bosco?" He turned around and gave the big furry animal a smooch on the nose before shuffling off again.

"What in the name of Tui and La was that all about?" Sokka demanded to the table. "He just talked to us like we were his kids or something."

"Not to mention he's completely off his rocker," Toph muttered.

"At least he's trying," Katara offered. "He's come a long way from being a sheltered shut-in."

"I don't care how far he's come!" Sokka complained. "He's acting like a preachy tight a-"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention!" a voice shouted over the crowds. They looked up to see Aang up on the stage with the band. "I wanted to take a moment to remark on the occasion. Two years ago today Zuko ascended the throne as the new Fire Lord, and that's why we're all here to celebrate. And while there are no perfect people in this world, I believe there is no one better to rule this nation than him. He loves this country, and he wants what's best for it. For a long time the Fire Nation was a source of fear throughout the world, even its own people were suffering. But now it can return to its former glory as the center of vibrancy, passion, and inspiration! And that starts with putting the needs of people first. Zuko, as a prince under your father, Ozai, you were banished for daring to have compassion for your people, and now they are extremely fortunate to have someone so caring as their leader."

Zuko stood, staring open mouthed as Aang made his speech.

The Avatar then signaled to the band and turned back to the crowd, pointing at Zuko and shouting, "Everyone give it up for the Fire Lord!"

Everyone in the room began to applaud and shout as the band started a new, much faster paced song.

"You are the Fire Nation! Tonight is your night!" Aang then signaled to someone else off stage and immediately fireworks began going off and the noise from the crowd escalated even higher.

"May I?"

Katara suddenly turned to see Aang standing by her chair with his hand outstretched.

"Don't you always?" she answered with a grin, placing her hand in his and allowing him to lead her to the center of the room.

Up till now no one had been dancing, but that soon changed as people began to see the young couple move gracefully around each other, spinning and swaying in perfect time with the fast tempo. The mood created by the rousing speech, song, fireworks, and sensually charged dance movements became infectious. It was finally a party. People were laughing, dancing, and speaking to each other with gusto and enjoyment.

Being in Aang's arms always gave Katara a mix of emotions. She felt safe and treasured, but at the same time she felt alive like there was fire in her veins. And when he danced with her, all of those feelings intensified.

Dancing with Katara was definitely one of Aang's favorite activities. They moved together seamlessly and they were drawn to each other like magnets. It was fun, thrilling, and intimate, and not to mention a great excuse to put his hands all over her. They danced through several songs, not paying attention to anything but the beat and each other.

"There he goes," Zuko said aside to his uncle. "Dancing like a fool when he should be helping me. Has he forgotten that we're in the middle of trying to prevent an uprising?"

"I think he is helping you, Nephew. The war may be over, but there is still hurt and sorrow left behind. What better way to help heal the wounds than through laughing and dancing? They do more than you know. And now, I'm going to ask that beautiful lady for a dance!"

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Hey, where did Toph go?" Katara asked, slightly out of breath as she and Aang rejoined their friends.

"I accidently spilled something on her, so I gave her one of Suki's shirts to change into," Sokka answered shrugging.

"You guys looked pretty hot out there," Suki commented, winking at them.

"Yeah, what was the meaning of that?" Sokka demanded. "Do you really think everyone needs to see your hands touching certain body parts? I mean that's just inappropriate!"

"I'm back," Toph announced, as she walked over to them wearing a new top that said in large bold letters: I LIKE IT DIRTY. "Thanks for the shirt, Sokka."

Everyone at the table started snorting in laughter as she stood there looking confused. "What's everyone laughing at?"

"Oh, Sokka," Katara sighed in a dismayed voice.

"You jerk, that was one of my favorites!" Suki exclaimed, poking Sokka in the shoulder.

Toph starting feeling the front of her shirt, "What's on it? What did you do?!"

"Remember that one time when Katara was doing the laundry, and you wouldn't let her wash your pillowcase?" Sokka asked slyly.

"Yeah, what about it?" Toph demanded with her hands on her hips.

"Remember what you said when she asked you why not?"

"I said I like it dirty. Oh! You are so dead, Sokka!"

"I'm sorry! I couldn't resist!" He said, still laughing hysterically and wiping tears of glee from his eyes.

"Ugh! Whatever, it's not that big of a deal."

"Um... may I have the pleasure?" asked a teenaged boy wearing Fire Nation robes as he tapped on Toph's shoulder.

"Sure," Toph snapped, grabbing the startled boy's hand and dragging him over to the dance floor as he eyed the front of her shirt.

"I believe my lady deserves a dance as well," Sokka tried to say smoothly as he helped Suki from her chair.

"Fine, but your lady deserves a new shirt too," she pointed out as they walked away together.

"Aang, that was some speech," Zuko said as he joined them at their table. "I want to thank you for saying all that. You didn't have to."

"Don't mention it, Zuko."

"Excuse me, Miss? May I the honor of a dance?" A young man asked Katara. She looked at Aang in question.

"Just save the last one for me, Sweetheart," he said, winking at her.

She smiled at him softly then looked back up the young man, "The honor would be all mine." And she stood to be escorted to the dance floor.

"You don't mind her dancing with some other guy?"

"Why should I? Besides, Mai's dancing with someone else."

"That's just my uncle! Anyway, nevermind. There's something I want to discuss with you. The other day you said you were willing to help me with the issue of the Loyal Ones."

"Yeah, absolutely."

"I've been thinking that I should get out of the palace for a while. I need to spend some time visiting other cities and towns throughout the Fire Nation and see what kind of work needs to be done. I want to be more hands on, focusing my attention on even the smallest of matters. In this way, I think I can indirectly solve the problem of this rebellion. And I want you to attend me in your professional role as the Avatar. We could be a lot more effective if we work together on it as a team. What do you think?"

"It sounds like a great plan. Only... Katara has to go to the South Pole to help take care of her grandmother, and I was going to go with her."

"Oh. Well, think about it, okay? I could really use a good peacemaker."

"Sure," Aang replied, feeling torn with the decision he now had to make. His eyes searched the throng of dancers, trying to spot Katara, but his gaze was caught by something else. Sokka was trying to dance with Suki, but for some reason he kept tripping over the stone floor. The crowd began parting around the pair as Sokka stumbled all over the place, flailing his arms in the air as an embarrassed Suki tried to keep out of the line of fire. Aang however, was the only one who noticed Toph over to the side, grinning wickedly as she discreetly wiggled her fingers over in Sokka's direction.

Finally, the young warrior landed in a heap on the ground and spotted the rock that had tripped him as it shifted back into the ground. "Toph! You romance spoiler!"

"Payback's a bitch, Captain Romance!" she shouted back, still wearing the shirt he had given her.

"Ahhh!" A scream sounded from the other side of the dance floor. "That's freezing!" The guy Katara had been dancing with was standing wide-eyed with water soaked all down the front of his robes.

"Well you deserved it, Bucko!" She shouted at him as she stormed away.

"What is all this rumpus?!" the Earth King cried. "You kids should know better than to act like this! Think of the example you're making for the Harmony Restoration Movement!"

"Look, Kuei, we're not your kids! We're responsible for our own behavior, and if there's hell to pay, then we'll pay it!" Sokka yelled with a finger pointed at the Earth King.

"You have no respect!" Kuei exclaimed.

"Yes, we do," Toph joined in. "But you have to respect us too. No one can say we haven't earned it!"

"That remains to be seen! Try to see things from my point of view."

"I would, but I don't think I can get my head that far up my ass!" she shouted.

"Enough!" Aang yelled over all the noise. "This is a party; let's all just go back to having a good time! And let's _all _be respectful!" He seemed to stare at one person in particular as he said the last sentence. Then he nodded over at the musicians who had stopped playing during the shouting, and they struck up their instruments again, moving everyone to resume dancing.

The friends regrouped at their table and Sokka and Toph apologized to each other.

"What did that guy do?" Aang asked Katara.

She sighed. "He was getting kind of grabby, but I took care of it so don't worry."

"If you say so," he grumbled.

"Really? You're not even going to do anything?" Zuko questioned him, flabbergasted.

"Katara can take of herself. If you'll excuse me, I need to have a little chat with... uh… the drink server," Aang said, jumping up and heading for the other side of the room.

"Katara, I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother."

"Thanks, Zuko. But she's going to be better soon."

"I see. I've asked Aang to come with me on a trip around the Fire Nation, but he's worried about you. Do you think you would really need him in the South Pole?"

"I guess not, but it's his choice, right?"

"It is, but you're the one he's going to consider the most when making his choice. And the Fire Nation could really use his influence right now."

She frowned sadly. "Okay, Zuko. I'll talk to him."

The celebration went well on in to the night, with more dancing, more laughing, and a limited amount of fighting. Aang had Katara on the dance floor again, and this time it was a slow song. They took the opportunity to get as close as possible. Katara started to gently caress the arrow tattoo at the nape of his neck, as she liked to do, which made him want to smother her lips with his. But he chose a small, tender kiss instead, considering where they were.

"So you're taking off with Zuko, huh?" she asked him as they gently swayed to the music.

"I never said that. He asked me, but I… I don't know."

"Haven't we always said that we would go where we were most needed?"

"But you might need me."

"I'll be okay. Besides, these people really need their Avatar right now. I'm just sorry I won't be there help you."

"You make it sound like it's already decided."

"Is it not? I'll really miss you," she whispered, pressing her lips to his again.

"I'm gonna miss you too," he murmured back, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb.

"I think I'm ready to turn in for the night," she said, pulling his hand as she began walking to the door.

He followed her with a goofy grin on his face while they weaved their way through the diminishing party crowds. Suddenly, she noticed him fixing someone with a death glare. She followed his gaze to see what he was looking at, to catch a glimpse of the guy she had splashed ice cold water onto earlier. As he made eye contact with Aang, his face turned white with terror.

Not taking his eyes off the poor guy, Aang wrapped his arm possessively around Katara's waist. As they went inside, she silently surmised that Aang had not gone to speak with the drink server earlier.

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. _

_Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. _

_Dance when you're perfectly free." _

― Rumi


	7. Chapter 7- Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

So now I'm trying my hand at sappy goodbye scenes. If it makes you feel even a tiny wisp of melancholy, I will have done my job. And I've added something else to balance out the weepiness... a healthy dose of girl powah!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow**

Katara stood on the deck of Sokka's ship, anchored in the Fire Navy Harbor. She had been helping him get ready for his trip to the North Pole, loading supplies and mending everything from socks to fishing nets. How her older brother always managed to tear up everything he owned she would never understand. Now as the moment of his departure drew nearer, she leaned on the railing, wistfully looking out over the waves. She was extremely thankful that through all their efforts, they had been able to help Aang win the war and start this new era. But a part of her still missed the days when it had been just her and her brother and their friends traveling around the world together.

"How am I gonna do without you for so long again?" Sokka asked Katara as he joined her on the side of the ship.

"I was just wondering the same thing," she teased.

"Hey! Here I am, trying to create a nice brother-sister moment before we separate for another 2 or 3 months, and you have to ruin it!"

"I'm just kidding, Sokka! I wish we could have spent more time together. Maybe this spring we'll be around each other more."

"Yeah. That sounds good. What about Aang?"

"Well of course he'll be around too."

"Uh-huh."

"What? You know how serious we are, and after all we've been through with him, you can't possibly disapprove!"

"Look, I don't disapprove, okay? He's a great guy, and I'm proud to be able to call him one of my best friends. I'm just being a big brother."

"So you're not worried about us being too young to be this committed to each other or anything?"

"No, I'm not. All of us were too young to be mixed up in a war but we still were, and we helped each other pull through. You and Aang had to deal with things that made you grow up faster than most people, and the bond I've seen form between the two of you is… amazing. Even though you are young, I know that what you have together is strong. Anyway, if you were going to be with anyone, I'd definitely want you to be with someone who could protect you, and if Aang can't, then I don't know who could. Not to mention he worships the ground you walk on."

"Thanks, Sokka. That means a lot to me." She gave him a hug before they turned around and walked down the ramp to where their friends stood talking on the shore.

"Hey, Katara," Suki said, "Since Sokka is going to the North Pole, I've decided to back home for a while, and I was wondering if you would give me a ride since you're going to be headed in that direction anyway."

"Of course, Suki. But I'm still working out the transportation details."

"What do you mean? I'm letting you take Appa." Aang replied, confused.

"Are you really sure about that?" Katara looked at him in earnest, knowing how attached he was to his bison.

"Absolutely. He'll be the safest way to get you there."

Toph suddenly spoke out, "Well what the heck am I supposed to do with myself? You've all got plans and places to go and I don't want to be stuck here all alone!"

"You could go with me to the South Pole."

"Katara, I'd love to meet your grandmother and everything, but me and the Poles don't exactly agree with each other."

"You would be welcome to join Aang and I. We're going to be moving through a lot of different communities in the Fire Nation," Zuko offered.

"Hey, that might be fun. It's been a while since I showed some firebenders who's boss! No offence, Zuko."

"Toph, we're not going be fighting," Aang reminded her. "It's a strictly peaceful mission."

"Ugh! Then I'm back to square one."

"Have you ever been to Kyoshi Island?" Suki asked her.

"Wait," Toph said seriously. "You mean the home of _Kyoshi_? The greatest Avatar who ever lived?! No, I've never been there! Can I come?"

"Hey!" Aang exclaimed. "I'm right here."

"Sorry, Twinkle Toes, but she was awesome!"

"Yes she was!" Suki agreed, laughing. "And you can definitely come along!"

"Would it be okay if I came too?" Mai asked quietly. "I haven't seen Ty Lee in forever."

"Sure."

"Wait, I thought you were coming with me?" Zuko complained.

"You're not going to need me, and the last thing I want to do is another boring diplomatic trip. I need a vacation."

"Alright!" Katara cried. "Girl's trip!"

"Great," Sokka said sarcastically. "I just hope Appa doesn't collapse from all the estrogen on his back."

"Leave our hormones out of it, smart ass!" Toph said, punching him in the arm.

"I hate to see us all separating again so soon," Aang muttered regretfully. "I consider you all my family." He looked at each one of them and placed his hand on Katara's back. "But I guess that's the nature of nomads, we're always moving."

"Are you saying we're all nomads?" Toph questioned him skeptically.

"In manner of speaking. At one point or another, you all gave up the life you knew to find your destiny and to make the world a better place. You left behind security to travel the world. Being with you guys has always made me feel at home, because I know I'm with my people."

Sokka said his goodbyes to everyone and Suki walked him onto his ship as the two of them gave each other one last goodbye kiss before he set off with his fleet. Sadly they watched him leave as he waved back at them until he was too far off to see. The group always felt Sokka's absence especially hard. It didn't matter that he was clumsy, didn't always say the right thing, or that sometimes he was too confident in his own abilities. He was the motivator, the one that always made them think, and even if his jokes weren't always great, he certainly kept things interesting.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The next couple of days were spent preparing for the upcoming trips, and on the night before the day of departure, the group of teenagers had dinner together at a small seating area outside instead of in the palace's large dining hall.

As they talked, Aang brought up the subject of the Loyal Ones to Zuko. "So what exactly is the plan on confronting them?" he asked nervously.

"I'm not so sure that we should confront them. Maybe it's wiser to just help in any way we can and then they might figure out that I'm not such a bad Fire Lord after all. These are my own people, and I don't want to start any kind of fight with them."

"I know your intentions are good and everything," Toph pointed out. "But when people have already made up their minds about what they think is for the best, it's almost impossible to persuade them otherwise. Trust me."

"Hopefully they all haven't made up their minds against me yet," Zuko responded.

"Do you foresee any particular city as being… dangerous?" Katara asked carefully.

"I really don't know," Zuko said. "To tell you the truth, I'm more worried about Azula than anything else. It's hard to tell how much of her mind is still the same, and I'm very suspicious that she's planning something. Before we ended the war, she was so… resourceful. And manipulative. She could get anyone to do anything she wanted them to do."

"You don't have to tell me," Mai mumbled darkly. "I don't even want to think about what would happen if she got her power back."

"Hearing you talk about her reminds me of this wild komodo rhino I ran into a few days ago," Aang brought up. "I could tell it was powerful, but it was also scared. He was abandoned and confused so his survival instincts kicked in and he went savage. I… er… unknowingly provoked him into attacking me in rage."

"What's your point?" Zuko snapped.

"Uh… I'm not really sure. I know everyone's better off with her locked away, but maybe eventually she'll get better if you just keep showing her compassion. That's all."

"Yeah. Maybe."

**0o0o0o0o0**

The next morning was a flurry of activity as everyone was getting ready to leave. The girls were going to be the first ones to depart, and they were almost finished with loading up Appa's saddle. Aang would be leaving later that day with Zuko and Iroh in the royal airship. As Katara walked into the courtyard with a last armful of supplies, she saw Aang standing there with Appa, stroking the wide fuzzy area between the bison's eyes. Besides them, no one else was currently occupying the outdoor area.

"Come to say goodbye?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, to both of you." He answered somberly.

"I wonder how it long it will be before we see each other again?" she pondered out loud as she set her bundle on the ground and joined him by Appa's head.

"Me too. Maybe we should decide on a maximum amount of time we're allowed to be separated, and then after that I'll come meet you, or we could meet each other somewhere."

"Okay, so how long?"

"Hmm, two weeks?"

"Don't you think this mission of Zuko's will a take a little longer than that?"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "I guess you're right. This is hard! I hate to sound selfish, but how long do you think it will take you to heal your grandmother?"

"I have no idea. As much as I'm going to miss you, I don't want to leave her until I know she's going to be okay. I think we're just going to have to accept the fact that we could be away from each other for a really long time."

His shoulders slumped as he stared at the ground with a frown.

She rested her hand on his upper arm. "How about after two months, if we're still not back together, you take a break and come visit me?"

He lifted his head slightly to look at her from the corner of his eye. "Really? Two Months? That's forever."

"I don't actually think it'll be that long, but it'll be our maximum. Now quit being a baby and kiss me goodbye."

His arms came around her roughly as he pulled her to him. She felt an answering urgency within her as she dragged his neck down forcefully and kissed his mouth just as firmly as he was kissing hers. Their lips parted so their tongues could move against each other in a frantic and heated desire to get as much of each other as they possibly could. It was as if they were trying to get two months worth of passion into one moment, and the longer they kissed, the harder it became to contemplate extracting themselves from each other.

"I am so glad I'm blind," announced a disgruntled earthbender as she stepped outside and launched herself up into Appa's saddle. "Her royal moodiness is on her way, and so is Suki. I think we're all ready to go."

Everyone else filed into the courtyard, making final preparations and saying goodbyes. Aang and Katara clung to each other one last time.

"Be careful, Aang," Katara said seriously as she stared hard into his eyes. "Promise me."

He stared back at her with intense focus, hands wrapped up in her hair. "I promise. And you had better take care of yourself. I don't care how much everyone else needs you. You make sure that you stay safe. Don't fall off Appa; I won't be there to save you from gravity."

"Ha ha, _gravity._"

"I'm serious."

"Okay, I won't fall off Appa. And you don't get hurt either."

"Deal." He helped her up onto Appa's head. She sat with her legs outstretched and he straddled her knees with his own, resting his forehead on hers and whispering so only she would hear, "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied tenderly, putting her lips on his as they kissed a final time.

He put the reigns in her hands and jumped backwards onto the ground, not taking his penetrating gaze from her face as they prepared to take off. She felt her heart tug painfully as she realized the time had finally come. Water prickled behind her eyes, but she fought to keep it from showing. She had called _him_ a baby? Clearing her throat, she turned around to check on her passengers.

"Everyone ready?" she called back.

"We are!" Suki said excitedly. She was back in her uniform and face paint.

"I guess that's it then," Katara announced. "Bye guys! Try not to miss us too much!" She kept her voice airy and refused to look down at Aang who was remaining silent as everyone else called out farewells. "Yip, yip!" she said to Appa, and they took off into the sky.

Zuko stood next to Aang as they watched the sky bison carrying both of their girlfriends get smaller and smaller.

"They'll be alright," the firebender assured him. "Two elemental masters, a Kyoshi Warrior, and a thrown weapons specialist. Not to mention the giant flying beast with horns."

They kept watching until Appa finally disappeared behind some mountains. "But will we be alright without them?" Aang questioned. He felt a hollow ache in his chest which had punched through him the second Katara had torn her deep blue eyes away from his, and it continued to pain him incessantly as he stood there missing the hell out of her.

"That's another matter entirely," Zuko answered with a chagrined smile.

Iroh came up behind them, clapping a hand on both boys' shoulders. "By the sound of things neither of you will last a week."

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Finally! Away from all the drama!" Toph said happily as she laid back with her arms behind her head.

"So how long is this trip going to take?" Mai asked.

"It'll take us about three days to get to Kyoshi Island." Katara answered, glad for the distraction. "Tonight we'll camp out on the southern tip of the Fire Nation, and then it's a long flight over ocean until we reach the Patola Mountain Range."

"Camp out? Can't we stay in a town or something?" Mai complained.

"As long as this rebellion is still going on, it's not safe for us to stay in any Fire Nation towns, especially you Mai. Zuko and Aang will have an entire guard to help them maintain peace, but we just have each other, our skills, and our common sense. So we're going to stay out of sight."

"And don't forget the best part," Toph added. "If anyone gives us any trouble, we'll be able to take care of it _our _way, and we won't have to worry about keeping up some bullshit image."

The day passed smoothly for the young women as they flew over the Fire Nation. They chatted about relationships, clothes, past crushes, deadly weapons, favorite styles of attack, and other girly stuff of that nature. When Katara finally guided Appa to the ground for a night's rest, she made sure they were in close proximity to the sea.

"Ugh, it's been so long since I've had to light a fire by myself; I might have forgotten how. There's usually a firebender around," Katara grumbled, further reminding herself that Aang was now far away.

"Don't look at me," said Mai. "Never done it."

"I've got it," Suki offered and began getting wood together.

"Thanks, Suki," Katara replied. "Then can you two help me get the supplies down and I'll start on cooking-"

"Someone's coming!" Toph interrupted her as her feet made contact with the earth.

"_Well look what we got here_."

The four girls froze and turned in the direction of the male voice coming from the nearby grove of trees. There were about a dozen men appearing from the shadows of the forest, carrying various weapons and looking way too happy.

"How lucky was it that we decided to anchor our ship just down the shore?" the leader of the group said as he approached them, stroking the blade his dagger. "What brings you… ladies out so late? And so far away from any villages? It's a good thing we found you."

Katara felt sick as the men's eyes roamed all over her and her friends. By the sight of their raggy clothes, she could tell they weren't soldiers, and she had a feeling they might actually be pirates. "We're just traveling through and we don't want to be bothered. I'm going to ask you to leave us alone."

"And you'll listen to her if you know what's good for you, but I'm kind of hoping you don't," Mai said, her hands moving to the inside of her sleeves.

"Listen," the leader drawled out. "No one has to get hurt. We just want to have some fun." He continued to advance, his steps taking on a predator like movement.

"_Please_," Toph growled. "Let me take 'em down by myself. I've been keeping weeks of frustration pent up, and these sleezoids are the perfect target."

"That's not fair," Suki argued. "I haven't done any real combat lately either."

"Would you two shut up?" Mai hissed. "I've got dibs on this half." She nodded to the men standing to the left.

"Calm down," Katara countered. "There are twelve, so we can each have three."

"Fine. I want the three biggest." Toph said.

The pirates stood baffled, watching back and forth as the teenage girls bickered over who got to get who. "Uh… what is goin-" one of the men began saying before he was suddenly slammed into a tree by giant rock. Several others soon found themselves gagged and tied before they could blink. As the remainders raised their weapons, they suddenly began dropping them and shouting in pain as their hands and arms were struck by sharp, tiny darts. Those who could, began stumbling over themselves and running in confusion and fear as they were chased with huge waves from the ocean and piercing shards of ice. The ones left incapacitated on the ground were presently thrown far back into the woods by a tremendous shifting in the earth beneath them. Within a matter of seconds, all of the unwanted visitors had been dispatched in rush of terrified male screams.

"That was fun," Toph stated as she stretched her arms in satisfaction.

"Should we find somewhere else to camp for the night?" Mai asked uncertainly.

"No. They know where we are now, and we can be sure they won't be coming back," Katara assured her with a smug grin.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Aang was sitting in the airship's cabin, playing Pai Sho with Uncle Iroh and trying to keep Momo from stealing the game pieces as they flew to their first stop in the Fire Nation.

"I've never played with someone your age who knew the game so well," Iroh commented as he studied the table in between them.

"Technically I am older than you," Aang reminded him with a smile. "The monks were great at Pai Sho. They thought it was necessary in a life of tranquility to have plenty of quiet moments of fun and relaxation."

"A sentiment I agree with entirely."

"Well once you old men are finished with your little game, you may want to turn in for the night," Zuko said as he entered the room. "It's getting late and I'm planning for us to be up once the sun rises to begin as soon as possible."

"Patience, Nephew. In a business such as this one, pacing yourself will you serve you better than this sense of urgency."

"I can't help it. I'm feeling anxious and you know sitting around has never done anything to help me relax."

"Why are you so stressed out?" Aang questioned lazily, the picture of relaxation as he reclined on a cushion. "I thought Azula was your biggest concern anyway."

"The state she was in the last time I saw her did nothing to calm my nerves. I visited her right before we left to tell her goodbye, but she was so unresponsive. She wouldn't look at me or talk to me. Usually I can't go see her without having half a dozen death threats being shouted at me. It was… odd."

"Maybe she's finally just calming down."

"I don't think so, Aang. My sister doesn't calm down. She plots."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Katara rolled over on her sleeping mat, trying to expunge the deep feelings of loneliness and unease. She wasn't worried about the men returning, but about how Aang was coping immersed in dealing with the idiotic people who thought they'd be better off in a world in which he didn't exist. It was hard enough trying to sleep knowing she wouldn't see him for a few weeks, but if something happened to take him away from her forever… She stood up quickly and found herself beginning to pace around the campsite as she tried to quiet her mind.

Appa grunted sleepily, and she looked over at him to see the lovable bison peering at her as if to reproach her for still being up at that late hour.

"I'm sorry, boy," she whispered, going over to pet his nose. "I can't stop thinking about Aang. What should I do?"

He let out a low, soft grumble and nudged her gently with his face, and it seemed to Katara that he was empathizing with her. "You miss him too, don't you?"

One of his front legs stretched out before her and she took it as an invitation. She curled up on the large, soft limb usually reserved for the airbender she loved and began to drift off as the soothing touch of warm fur made her feel a little bit closer to him.

**0o0o0o0o0**

As Aang lay on his mattress, his thoughts drifted to Katara. Over the past few years he had gotten used to always falling asleep with her somewhere nearby, and now he began to feel restless as he wondered about what she was doing and whether she was warm and comfortable. He wouldn't let himself dwell on whether or not she was safe, otherwise he'd be a wreck.

_She's the most capable person in the world. _He had to remind himself. She was fine. She was with Appa and other very capable people. But nothing he could do could erase the feeling of incompleteness radiating all through his being. Momo hopped up and curled himself into a ball on Aang's chest, his small body warming the area above the spot which was feeling rather cold and vacant. The Avatar's heart was on the other side of the continent.

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye...until we meet again" _

― Jimi Hendrix


	8. Chapter 8- Deep Calls to Deep

Okay so you may not like this chapter as much cause there's just not a whole lot of kataang going on in this one, and the progression is a little bit slower. Sorry. This one is all in Katara's POV and focuses a lot on her healing abilities. We learn in LoK that she is THE greatest healer in the world, and I think the reason for that is because she's capable of feeling an amazing amount of empathy for people who are suffering. So I am using this chapter to explore that a little. So read it! And if you have anything to add or say, please say it :)

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Deep Calls to Deep**

Appa touched down next to the small village on Kyoshi Island. A strangely excited Toph leaped from the saddle and immediately bent down to feel the ground with the palm of her hand.

"Whoa! What is with this island? It feels… different."

"Kyoshi created it herself by dividing it from the mainland," Suki informed her proudly as she joined the earth bender.

"No way! She just keeps getting better and better!" Toph exclaimed with a huge smile on her face.

The people from the village began to notice the presence of the familiar sky bison and came to greet the newcomers. The first one to come welcome them was the newest Kyoshi Warrior with her customary cartwheels.

"Mai! I'm so happy you're here!" she squealed as she hugged her friend. "All of you! I had no idea you were coming! Wait. It's just the four of you? You mean I missed all that girl bonding time?!"

"Sorry, Ty Lee, but we're here now and we'll be spending plenty of time with each other," Suki told her reassuringly.

"So are you still glad you decided to come live here?" Mai asked Ty Lee.

"Of course! Everyone here is so great and I feel like I really fit in. Oh, and I gotta new boyfriend! He is so awesome! He really gets me, you know? Most guys seem to get uncomfortable when they realize I can beat them up, but he thinks it's incredible! We share a very similar outlook on life. He's so passionate and enthusiastic, and we have the best time together! Although… sometimes he does get a little too excited."

Suddenly Katara heard a familiar screeching/gagging sound followed by an animated choking sound.

"Oh, that's him!" Ty Lee said. "I should probably go check on him." And she raced off to tend to a boy now lying on the ground with his face half covered in foam.

"Oh, thank Kyoshi!" Suki sighed. When her friends stared at her in question, she answered self-consciously, "I went out with him once… I'm just glad he's got someone new to follow around."

"Gross," said Mai.

"Really, Suki? You went out with Foamy?" Katara asked, trying to hold back her laughter.

"I'm not proud of it, okay? Please don't tell Sokka. And anyway, his name is not really Foamy."

"Then what is it?"

"His name is-"

"Welcome back, Suki!" the village leader said as reached them. "And Miss Katara too! Always a pleasure! Any accommodation you and your friends require is yours."

**0o0o0o0o0**

After spending the night on the small, welcoming island, Katara prepared for the journey to the South Pole that she and Appa would be making alone. Toph walked with her as she made her way over to where the bison was waiting for her.

"I really hope she pulls through, Katara," Toph offered sympathetically. "She'll have the best chance with you looking after her."

"Thanks. I know Gran Gran is old, but that doesn't mean it has to be her time yet. She was always there for me, and when I last saw her, she helped me realize that my destiny was with Aang. And I really want her to be there when I have children. She'll be the only grandmother they'll ever have. That is… assuming Aang's the father. Which I don't see why he wouldn't be. There isn't anyone else I'd rather marry… So I guess that's assuming… he wants to marry me." Katara laughed nervously. "Uh… this is embarrassing."

"You can say that again! Aren't you still too young to be thinking about marriage and babies and all that stuff? And with Twinkle Toes? Blegh! I'm sorry, he's great and everything, but… not my type. Although, I admit, you two are pretty good together."

"You really think so?"

"Duh. Anyone with eyes or killer earthbending skills could figure that out. The magnitude of physical reaction I sense from him whenever you come into the room, actually makes me want to wash my feet. With soap."

"Wow, Toph. You really mean that, don't you?" Katara said as they reached Appa.

"I don't joke about my feet."

Katara laughed as she hugged her. "I'll miss you, Toph."

"You too, Sugar Queen."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Appa was able to fly much faster without the three extra passengers and all of their luggage, so he got Katara to the South Pole village just as night began fall that same day. She contemplated her surroundings as she walked in the cold air, feeling the crunch of snow and seeing her breath turn to steam. So much was familiar, and yet so much had changed as well. It was still nowhere near as big or as grand as the city in the North Pole, but it had grown tremendously since she was fourteen. Towering walls of ice now surrounded it, and she could see a few buildings standing even taller than the walls.

A group of Water Tribe guards walked from the gates to meet her. "Master Katara." They bowed their heads respectfully. "I'm afraid Chief Hakoda is away on a hunting mission until tomorrow, but Master Pakku is expecting you. If you will follow us, we will show you where your bison may be housed and then you can go meet him."

Katara ascented and followed them through the gates which were opened by benders standing on top of the wall. She was flattered at being called "Master" and realized that she was only called that by members of the Water Tribe.

After getting Appa taken care of, she entered the large, multi-room igloo she was directed to and smiled warmly at the sight of her old master.

"Master Pakku," she greeted him. The tone of her voice was respectful, but the hug she gave him expressed the love for the man who had become a grandfather to her.

"Katara, it's good to finally see you again." He returned her hug with equal fondness, but she could see evidence of many weeks of stress and worry in his eyes. "There's a lot we need to catch up on, but I'm sure you want to see your grandmother now."

Katara nodded wordlessly, suddenly feeling a rise in the apprehension and nerves she had been suppressing since Sokka had first given her the news. Her heart beat picked up and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she followed him to the back room.

"I'll leave you alone with her," he said quietly as he stood aside for her to enter.

Katara pulled back the pelt serving as a door and walked in to see Gran Gran lying in bed and taking rasping breaths. Her eyes were closed as if in sleep, but the expression on her face was strained instead of relaxed in peaceful slumber.

"Gran Gran?" she whispered, unable to control the slight tremor in her voice.

Exhausted, wrinkled eyes came open at once. "My Katara," she exclaimed, her voice weak and cracking. "Oh my precious granddaughter, to see you at last!"

The tears began rolling down Katara's face freely as she fell on her knees to embrace the old woman, so frail she couldn't sit up.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long," she said, face pressed into her grandmother's shoulder.

"Not to worry. You've been very busy and much needed elsewhere, little Waterbender."

Katara lifted her head to look at the woman who had played such a vital part in helping her become who she was. Then she wiped her cheeks and said resolutely, "Well you're the one who needs me now, and I'm not leaving for a long time."

She bended water from the pouch at her side and brought it up over her grandmother's heart, closing her eyes and trying to feel where the sickness was coming from. Almost immediately she located problems in her lungs, but that wasn't all. The evidence of disease was all through her bloodstream, her organs were fatigued, she was severely dehydrated, and the list went on. Besides bringing Aang back to life, it was going to be the most complicated healing she had ever had to do, but she was determined.

She worked all night long, occasionally refreshing the healing water or changing her position. Gran Gran eventually drifted into a restless sleep, but Katara continued trying to make her efforts take effect. As the night wore on, she began to feel physically and emotionally drained. A mounting frustration began to take hold of her as she saw no improvement. It was a battle, and she was losing. Sunlight began to peak through the window and Katara slumped on the floor next to the bed, her energy completely expired. She stared at her hands with a feeling of hopelessness. Once, she had felt so proud of their abilities, and now she felt defeated. She lay down on a fur rug and fell asleep at once. Too tired even to cry.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Katara woke up later that day and immediately felt a deep, aching yearning to be in a certain pair of arms. Her heart fell as she remembered that Aang was nowhere nearby. She found herself lying in a bed instead of the rug she had fallen asleep on. She got up and walked to the main room of the igloo to find her father in deep discussion with a woman dressed in healers clothing.

"Dad!"

"Katara!" They embraced each other warmly. "Missed you, kid."

"What's going on?" she asked him, nodding toward the healer.

"They come in every now and then to check on your grandmother, but so far we still haven't made any headway."

"Your mother is resting now," the healer said to Hakoda as she made her way out the door. "Send for me when you think it's time."

"Time for what?" Katara asked uneasily.

"Well… Katara, it looks like she's declining fast. We need to be prepared."

"No! I came here to help her get better!"

"Trust me, you being here is going to do her a lot of good. You can help us make her more comfortable, and I'm sure it gives her great peace of mind to have you home again."

"I can't believe you've already accepted this!"

"Katara, I know this is upsetting. After your mom died, Gran Gran was the one who took care of you. But she's been sick for a long time now, and after a while it gets hard to keep holding on to something that won't stop pulling away."

"I'm going to give her another healing session."

"Katara, don't wear yourself out again like you did this morning!"

She ignored him as she rushed to go back to her grandmother's side.

Several days went by and Katara did nothing but heal, sleep, and eat. She only slept when she too exhausted to heal anymore and only ate when her father shoved a piece of food in her mouth. After she had been there a week, there was still no improvement and eventually Gran Gran became so ill she couldn't speak at all without going into fits of hacking coughs.

The sky was darkening and Katara instinctively knew that the moon would be full that night. She lifted her hands away from the old, sick woman, not in exhaustion, but in desolation. Her will to continue had been fading and was now finally extinguished. She stood and left the room, glancing back at the sleeping figure before going through the door. Her father and Pakku were sitting at the table in the main room, both with solemn faces as they watched her walk over to them.

"I can't do it," she mumbled dejectedly.

"Katar-"

"Just drop it, okay?!" she cried before storming outside. They didn't try to follow her.

She went through the gates and began walking around the outskirts of the village, her thoughts dark with self-hatred and grief. The presence of the full moon did nothing to soothe her. It only reminded her of her disgusting ability to bloodbend. Her sense of all the water around her became overloaded as she felt the increase of power, but it only served to further depress her. She had all this strength but she felt so weak, because she still couldn't help one little old lady whom she loved with all her heart.

She wanted Aang. Being with him made her feel strong, wanted, needed, giddy, confident, able. Now she felt the opposite of all those things. If only she could just see his face or hear him talk or feel his fingers entwined with her own. Something. She found herself staring up at the sky, as if she might spot the airbender flying towards her as she had many times before.

"Master Katara!" a sentry called out as he jogged over to her from the village gates. "This just arrived for you from the Fire Nation." He handed her a scroll and she thanked him as he turned to go back to his duties.

She unrolled it quickly, feeling both excitement and fear at the prospect of news about Aang. She sighed in relief as she recognized Aang's handwriting. If he was able to write a letter than that meant he was okay.

_Dear Katara,_

_We had a pretty rough day yesterday. Loyal Ones have already done a lot to influence the town we're currently in, and it seemed like nothing we said or did made any difference to them. I fell asleep last night, feeling like I had just lost a battle or something and wishing I was with you. And then I dreamed about you. You were just there, being Katara. You were looking right into me and I knew you understood. In real life I know you weren't really there, but it felt real, and I actually drew strength from it. _

_It reminded of that time in the desert. We had all given up, except for you. You stayed strong even though I know you felt weak and lost just like we did. You refused to let go of hope, and you helped restore mine after I had given it up. Whatever you're doing, don't forget how much you mean to me. Write me back, okay? The longer we're apart, the harder I miss you. I love you._

_-Aang_

_p.s. – In my dream you were also naked. Sorry._

It was as if he had hugged her. It was all him. She felt her will returning, and with a vengeance. She read the letter again and she was grinning from ear to ear. She read it a third time and it had her turning on her heel and running for the igloo. She didn't know how he did it, but even with just a few simple words on a piece of paper, he still managed to bring out the best in her. To make her believe in herself again.

"Dad! Pakku!" she shouted as she ran through the door. "Help me. I need Gran Gran to be outside." They continued sitting at the table staring with startled faces at a completely different girl from the one who had left just a few minutes ago. "Let's bundle her up with as many blankets as possible and carry the bed with her on it just outside. Don't just sit there, let's go! I need to use the full moon!"

They finally got up did as she said, and if they doubted her plan at all, they didn't say a word. As Gran Gran was settled on the icy ground outside, her eyes peered open slightly but otherwise she showed no signs of awareness.

"Wait, she'll freeze!" Hakoda exclaimed as Katara began removing her blankets.

"Don't worry. I'll keep her warm. Sorry Dad, but step back and don't talk to me."

The full moon was beginning to reach its peak in the night sky and Katara felt it soaking into her back, suddenly energizing her with alarming intensity as she focused on purposefully pulling it into her body. She increased the temperature in the air around her grandmother by heating the water in the air, and the water she bended to surround her hands like gloves came to her like it had just been waiting for her to summon it. She placed her hands on Gran Gran's abdomen and felt for all the familiar pathways. She let go of all thought. Even of her wish to make Gran Gran better, because even though it was a well-intentioned thought, it was still centered on herself. She focused on nothing but Gran Gran's desire to become healed. To try and feel her pain, both physical and spiritual.

Something began to happen. She could feel the disease losing its hold and begin to shift. She concentrated even harder and felt herself begin to sweat with the effort. The light from the moon was hitting her with increasing heat and felt like sunburn as it filled every fiber of her muscles. The toxins in the elderly woman's body were still stubborn but so was Katara, and she wasn't letting go. Finally, they reached their limit and she could feel them being pulled out by the healing water.

She lifted her hands away and let the water fall to the ground. Gran Gran let out a shuttering breath, and when she inhaled a moment later there was no longer any horrible rasping sound. She turned her head to the side and smiled at her granddaughter, a look of sheer peace and contentment finally spread across her features. Katara smiled back as well as she could, feeling overwhelmed with relief and fatigue. Her father and Pakku returned to the bedside, Hakoda putting his arm around her as he saw she was about to collapse. Pakku bent down to Gran Gran, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it.

"Alright, kid. You did good," her Dad told her as he began leading her inside. "You've done enough for one day. Now it's time for you to rest."

**0o0o0o0o0**

When Katara went to see her grandmother the next day, she found her sitting up in bed, talking and laughing as Pakku sat with her.

"Gran Gran, how are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," she smiled brightly. "All because of you."

Pakku got up to go but rested his hand on Katara's shoulder before he left. "I never know what to expect with you, but I'm always amazed by your skill and your heart." He smiled and left the room.

"It wasn't just me," Katara said as she next to her grandmother. "I used the full moon. I didn't even know it could help me in my healing, but it just occurred to me that it might. Also, I had just gotten a letter from Aang, and it gave me the encouragement I needed." She couldn't help but let a dreamy grin drift onto her face as she recalled his words.

"It seems the two of you are quite dedicated to each other."

"You knew it would happen, didn't you? You once told me that my destiny was intertwined with his, and at the time I just thought you meant that it was my destiny to help him become a full Avatar."

"A girl doesn't decide to leave everything she's ever known for just anyone. She will only do that for the one she feels a powerful connection too: her soul mate. I saw it in your eyes even then; he had become the center of your world within mere hours of meeting him."

Katara leaned forward to hug her. "I'm so glad you're better, Gran Gran. I don't know what I would've done if you had… if you had…"

"If I died? Yes, dear, I know. To tell you the truth, I wasn't really ready to go just yet. I'm still a newlywed you know." She laughed. "And I want to be there for you, when it's time for you to be married to this lucky Avatar fellow."

"If we get married, I'm going to be the lucky one."

"All those who find great love are blessed, and I'm so happy you have. You've been given many wonderful gifts, but it's your tender, giving heart that I love most about you. It's also what makes you such an incredible healer, because you feel the pain of others, and anyone who needs you will always find a place in your heart."

**0o0o0o0o0**

A couple of more weeks passed by, and during that time Gran Gran made a swift recovery. Katara began spending parts of her days with other members of the village. One of her favorite things to do was to help teach waterbending and healing classes. There were a few waterbender children who had been part of the relocation from the North Pole, and spending time with them, watching them have fun and progress under her tutelage made her think of Aang even more. She had sent him a letter informing him of the good news the day after she had healed her grandmother, but she still hadn't heard back from him yet.

She was outside one day, playing with some of her pupils by using bending to throw snowballs, when a commotion began from the guards keeping watch on top of the village wall.

"Approaching from the north, Fire Nation Airship!" one of them called out.

Shock, confusion, and even fear were evident in the voices and faces of the people who heard the announcement of the unexpected visit. For some of them, old memories were returning.

"It's alright!" Katara tried to calm down the people around her. "It's not an attack, it's just one vessel. We're not at war anymore."

Despite her reassuring words, she felt her heart racing as she tried to push away the thought that Aang might be on the ship. She ran for the gates and waterbended them open herself with a single motion of her arm.

"Master Katara, wait!"

She kept going and stopped only when she reached the airship as it landed in the snow. She watched as the hatch opened with a loud mechanical hiss and the Fire Lord walked out. There was no sign of Aang.

When Zuko's eyes found Katara, he made his way to her with a purposeful expression on his face.

"What are you doing here? Where's Aang?"

"Katara…" he said hesitantly. "We ran into some problems, and I decided it would be best if I came and got you myself."

Her breathing stopped, unable to ask the hundreds of questions flying through her mind as everything around her seemed to slow down and fade away. She could do nothing but stare at him as she waited for him to continue with terrified anticipation.

"The force of people still loyal to my father was much greater than we imagined. Aang decided that desperate action was required. I tried to stop him, but he said it was his duty. He gave himself over to the Loyal Ones… as their prisoner."

"No," she finally whispered hoarsely. "He wouldn't do that to me."

"He told me not to interfere with what he was doing, and that he had a plan but he wasn't sure how long it would take. I have no idea what should be done, so I came to find you."

Her breaths began to come back in ragged gasps. "You mean he didn't tell you **anything** else?!"

"He told me to tell you that he loved you," he said carefully, as he watched her face go from panicked to enraged.

Her heart clenched in her chest as she pictured her sweet, passive Aang, at the mercy of the people who had once ambushed them. "I'm going to kill him."

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"The distant soul can shake the distant friend's soul and make the longing felt, over untold miles." _

― John Masefield


	9. Chapter 9- But a Beast is in the Heart

Ah! Reviews, reviews, reviews! I love them so! I just want to throw them all up in the air and dance around like a savage! Whoo! Okay, so we are nearing the end of this story, and I am so fired UP! Although, it might have something to with the fact that I've been re-watching all the Korra episodes. I'm getting close to the finale, so it's almost like I'm synchronizing the two. HOW CAN THEY MAKE US WAIT SO LONG FOR THE NEXT SEASON?! *sigh* At least we still have fanfiction :] don't think I could survive w/o it.

I took a direct quote from one of my favorite movies of all time and threw it into this chapter. If you can find it, you are amazing! And if you don't, you are still amazing because you have read all the way up to this point!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**But a Beast is in the Heart**

"We… we have the Avatar, Sir."

The head in command at the loyalist camp, an ex-Fire Nation Army captain, ejected the soup he had been eating in a slobbery spray and gagged on a noodle. Clearing his throat, he snapped his head around to stare at the messenger who stood at the entrance of the tent.

"What?! How is that possible?!"

"H-he just walked into our camp unarmed and just… gave himself up."

"What's his agenda?"

"He didn't say."

"No doubt this is part of some strategy, but we'll see to it that it doesn't come to fruition."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Aang was sitting on the dirt floor of the tent he had been pushed into. His back was wedged painfully against a wide pole that had been secured into the ground, his arms pulled back and wrapped around it with his hands chained together tightly. _Well this was a stupid idea._ Odds were that he could probably go into the Avatar State and get himself out anytime he wanted, but that would completely defeat the purpose of this whole design. He had tried to make Zuko see his reasons, but the Fire Lord had insisted it was too risky, even when Aang reminded him that he had once done the same thing at the Western Air Temple in order to gain Aang and his friends' trust. That was actually what had inspired Aang to do this in the first place.

He wanted to show the Loyal Ones that he didn't see them as enemies, and he thought that this demonstration would prove to them that his goal was only to attain peace. However, he was now beginning to worry that he had been a little rash to jump into this. Maybe he should have thought it through more. Suddenly he heard several footsteps approaching the tent he was being held in.

"So, young Avatar, you decided to pay us a visit?" A tall, imposing man covered in battle scars stormed through the entrance, flanked by two others. All three men were wearing black sashes emblazoned with gold phoenixes. "My name is Lei Xing, proud loyalist to the true Fire Nation and its true ruler. Did you think you'd just waltz right in and be invited to stay for tea? You think this is just some pathetic little protest? That we're just old ninnies throwing a fit?! I'm not amused by your arrogance."

"I didn't come here to challenge you or to show that I'm not afraid of you. I just want to understand your issue with me and the Fire Lord. Hopefully we can work this out. Surely you don't want innocent people to be hurt because of this?"

"Who said anything about hurting the innocent? As far as I see it, any Fire Nation citizen willing to serve a traitor on the throne is far from innocent."

"Who's the traitor? The one who risked his life to help save the world, or the one who tried to burn it to the ground?!"

"It would be pointless to try to explain the complexities to you. You're still only a child, and the cowardly teachings of those insipid monks have polluted your mind."

"Oh, is that we you have me, a _child_, chained up? Because I'm a coward and you're not?"

A hard, metal incased foot swung up, kicking him in the side of the face.

"Your attitude will get you nowhere. Consider that a warning, _Avatar._"

Breathing hard with the stabbing pain, Aang spat out a mouthful of blood before raising his head up to stare coldly into the man's eyes. "Message received, Lei Xing. Now here's your warning: Put an end to this. Stop terrorizing the country into following you and leave the people to live their lives in peace. You're free to have your own opinions, but you don't have the right to intimidate others into agreeing with you. It's treachery, and I will not tolerate it."

"Awful strong words for someone so powerless. What are you going to do if we don't? I'm well aware that that weakling Zuko and his armies are encamped just a couple of miles from here. I don't fear him. The real Fire Lord will be joining us soon, and you'd be amazed at the amount of supporters we have rallied and readied for action."

"So you're going to break Ozai out of prison? How are you supposed to accomplish that and then actually get him back on the throne? He has no power left at all. I made sure of it."

Lei Xing sneered. "We're not concerned with Ozai, although his demise and incarceration was unfortunate. We can't have a non-firebender ruling the Fire Nation."

Aang deepened his glare in confusion. "Then who _are_ you talking about?"

**0o0o0o0o0**

"I still can't believe you got that huge animal onto my airship, and even more unbelievable, that you somehow managed to get me to agree to it," Zuko muttered in exasperation to the hardheaded waterbender.

"Leaving Appa behind was not an option. He's Aang's animal guide and he might need him," Katara answered stubbornly. "Besides, the cargo hold turned out to be the perfect size for him."

They were standing side by side in the steer room, staring straight ahead as they flew over the ocean.

"Could we possibly make this thing go any faster?" she asked impatiently.

"Sure. We just have to release the extra 20,000 pounds we're carrying below deck."

"Shut up about that already, okay?!" She raised her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, eyes screwed up in frustration and fear for Aang. She let out shaky a sigh, her shoulders trembling with the effort to keep from breaking into sobs.

"I know you're scared, Katara." He put his arm around her comfortingly. "But you know Aang, he's always getting himself into to trouble like this, and he always gets himself out."

"Why did he decide that he needed to do this in the first place? What happened?"

Zuko let go of her and took a few steps away before facing her with an occupied expression. "We began noticing in certain villages that there was some kind of distance in the people whenever we tried to interact with them. Almost like they were terrified of us, but it was more complicated than that. Instead of cowering, they ignored us, and if we tried to confront anybody about it, their eyes would dart around like someone was going to come out and attack them for talking to us. Finally we realized that it was the Loyal Ones they were really afraid of. Some people were brave enough to admit to us that they had had several run-ins with them, and that they had made threats against their livelihoods if they didn't comply with the loyalist conceptions."

He paused, staring out at the horizon with anger and dread etched on his scarred face. "As we continued, we kept running into the same situation and discovered it was much bigger than we would have ever guessed, and then we found the headquarters of the Loyal Ones. It was an enormous campsite, stretching out further than we could perceive."

"So naturally he assumed the best course of action was to become their prisoner," she murmured.

"Like I said before, I don't know exactly what his plan is, so I figure he's just making it up as he goes. He informed me that he doesn't want me to interrupt, and… he implied that he wanted me to take care of you… should anything happen. He made me promise."

"I'm really glad you came and got me, Zuko."

"Why is that?"

"Because I didn't make any idiotic promises."

Zuko carefully observed her as she crossed her arms and focused on the sea laid out before them. He found himself captivated by the image. She was splendid in her Water Tribe clothes with the fur lining, boots, and white bindings covering her tan arms from wrist to elbow. The tribal decorations were striking, from the beads in her dark, flowing hair to the choker fitted around her slender neck. And even though the water pouch strapped around her was the only weapon she carried, she was formidable looking with her stern and determined features glowing under the light of the half-moon. All in all, the impression she made at that moment was of a beautiful and terrifying warrior. He had been on the receiving end of her waterbending attacks many times in the past, but he felt no animosity; only pure admiration.

Yep, Aang was a lucky guy. Not that Zuko wished he could trade places with him. No one compared to the delicate beauty or the elegant precision of wit and ferocity of his Mai. Not many people knew it, but she packed a punch like a firecracker, both in battle and in… other places. She was the only one who got his heart racing, and she could do it with a mere glance.

He shook his head as images of Mai started going through his mind in a frenzy. Agni, he missed her. He looked at Katara again and this time noticed the dark smudges appearing under her tired eyes. He spoke in a low, pleading tone, "Go get some rest. We should be there by morning."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Aang figured it was sometime around midnight. He was still in the same tent and in the same position he'd been in since the Loyal Ones had "captured" him. There was no way he was getting any sleep tonight, even if he could get into a comfortable position, the guard that had been stationed to watch him had been droning on and on in a dull monotone about his not-so-thrilling war stories for the past two hours. From what Aang could make out, the dismal ex-soldier had been stationed somewhere in the deserts of the Earth Kingdom for the majority of his life.

"When there was no meat, we ate fowl. When there was no fowl, we ate crawdad and when there was no crawdad to be found, we ate sand."

"You ate what?" Aang asked.

"We ate sand."

"You ate _sand?_"

"That's right."

The old man continued in his ramblings and Aang groaned in frustration as he threw his head back to stare at the ceiling. At once his sight was caught by a hole in the fabric, and he could see the moon right in the center of it. Seeing the moon had Katara's image flashing in his mind. Immediately his heart twisted with such agony, it couldn't hold a candle to the throbbing bruise on the side of his face. _Please,_ he prayed to the spirits, _let her be safe._ He felt the sting of Katara's absence sharper than ever now as he was surrounded in nothing but hatred and loneliness. But this was the last place he ever wanted to see her, and he offered up a silent thanks that she was tucked away in her home of ice.

Slowly, Aang realized that his annoying guard had stopped talking, and he lowered his head again to see what was going on. Two more men approached the entrance, addressing the guard, "Alright old-timer, your shift's up."

"Oh, I see," the old man cackled. "It takes two of you to replace the amount of diligence I supply."

"In your dreams, Pops. Lei Xing just wants more security on the Avatar since we got a message saying that the royal airship suddenly took off this morning. Could be something's up."

_Zuko left? _Aang thought to himself as he overheard the men. _What is he doing? What happened to having my back? _He couldn't do anything but wonder in silence as the knowledge sunk in that his only friend in a hundred miles had abandoned him.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Katara woke to a sudden jolt. For a moment she was disoriented as she tried to keep from falling out of her bed, but then she remembered where she was and that the airship must have finally landed. All at once she was alert and flying out the door, anxious to see what could be done. She made her way to the cargo hold and began leading Appa out the large doors as she spotted the Fire Lord conferring with his uncle just outside.

"Where is he?" she asked abruptly as she walked over to join them.

"One of my lookouts reported that he's been kept in the same tent this whole time," Zuko answered. "Their campsite is a mile or two down the road on the other side of this hill."

"So what are we waiting for? What's the plan?"

"Nothing's set in stone yet. If anything out of the ordinary starts happening down there, we'll be notified immediately. If it looks like Aang's in trouble, we'll be ready to go in and assist him in anyway necessary."

"So we're just waiting?!" she shrilled, horrified.

"I know it's hard to be calm when the one you love is in danger," Uncle Iroh said consolingly. "But you should try and trust Aang's judgment. This was what he decided was for the best, and we may very soon be in need of your skills."

"Come on," Zuko told her. "I'll show you their camp."

The two of them got on Appa and flew unnoticed through the sloping terrain. They landed behind a large projection of rock placed on a ledge overlooking the valley below with an innumerable amount of tents and people milling around them.

"Which one is he in?" she asked, as she crouched down, eyes darting around the campsite.

"Over there on the left-hand side," he said, pointing it out. "It's one of the larger tents. There's a black flag on top of it and there are two guards standing outside. It's the one closest to that small creek."

"Perfect."

"What? You're not going down there after everything we told you, are you?"

"No…. not yet."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Zuko and Katara returned to where the airships were being kept and waited as the day slowly crawled by. They discussed all the possible strategies of attack, what type of arsenal and resources the Loyal Ones had at their disposal, and whether or not they should send for more backup. By afternoon, an urgent messenger hawk arrived for Zuko with alarming news.

He read the message as Iroh and Katara watched his eyes widen in horror. "I-It's Azula. She escaped from the palace."

"How did this happen?!" Iroh thundered.

"Apparantly I can't trust all the staff I had taking care of her. This changes everything."

"Yes it does," Katara stated. "You said yourself she might be involved with them. She could be on her way here right now! It's finally time we took action."

"What are you suggesting?"

"How about that diversion idea we talked about? Do you think you two could get the whole campsite's attention away from the side Aang is being held on?"

"No problem," Iroh said confidently. "Two dragons can cause quite a scene when they want to."

"Good. Then I'll sneak around using the creek, get Aang out, and then we can join you."

Zuko nodded. "It's time we finally put these loyalists in their place. Where do you think we should place the troops, General Iroh?"

His uncle smiled gravely. "We'll have them surround the camp, and then we'll give the signal for attack if and when brute force becomes necessary. Hopefully we can settle this without the slaying of lives."

"And hopefully Aang won't be too angry that I went against his wishes," Zuko added.

Katara's face darkened. "That's the least of my worries."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Darkness was falling again and Aang was getting more and more irate, mostly with himself. This is was what he got for being a pushover. His guards had allowed him to get up and walk around a little earlier, and he had been given some water, but he was still in the same spot. Lei Xing had not returned to see him, and Aang was beginning to think that he wasn't going to accomplish anything sitting in this hole.

_Maybe I should just leave. Runaway to the South Pole and stay in an igloo with Katara. Yeah, that sounds good._

The sentries assigned to watch him had quickly realized that he wasn't putting up any kind of fight, and some of them seemed to respect him for it. Still, others took advantage of the chained Avatar, occasionally backhanding him or aiming a punch at his stomach, laughing at him when he didn't retaliate. At the moment he was alone in the tent. The guards had become lazy at keeping watch, and there was no true order or discipline in this camp as there would be in any normal military setting.

Suddenly he started hearing shouts in the distance. He looked up to see shadows of running figures all headed in the same direction. He longed to know what was going on, but he was still determined to see his initial plan through. His mind was going back and forth as to what he should do when slowly he became aware of someone bending not too far away and getting closer. Someone _waterbending._ No. It couldn't be. The waterbender continued getting closer to the tent until they were just behind it. He placed both his feet flat on the ground as he listened carefully. He sucked in a breath as he recognized the vibrations as the person made contact with the earth and quietly stepped closer. Unlike Toph, Aang wasn't able to single out most individual people just by feeling the ground. There was only one person in the world he was so in tuned to that he could sense her presence just by the way the ground felt when she walked on it. He twisted his head around so he could watch when his favorite person entered the back of the tent, and he couldn't have been more angry about it.

Katara edged her way up to the tent, looking from side to side to make sure no one had seen her. It didn't matter; they were all on the other side of the camp. Using the water from her pouch, she sliced open the dense fabric to slip inside. Immediately her vision was met with the sight of Aang, chained to a pole and his clothes ragged and blood-stained. She let out a hoarse cry and ran to him, not caring that he was glaring at her in fury. She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him with everything she had. That stern look on his face did not disappear, even as he strained against his bonds, kissing her back with passionate ferocity.

"You moron! What… in the world…. are you… doing here?!" he hissed at her in between kisses.

"I could ask you the same thing," she panted roughly, holding on to him tightly as his lips began making an aggressive trail down her neck. Finally she tore herself away from him. "We have to go! Zuko and Iroh are causing a distraction but there's no telling how long it'll last!"

"No! Get out of here! I've got everything under control!"

"Would you _listen _to yourself?! You are in chains! You have no control!"

"It's part of the plan!"

"Plans have changed! Azula escaped; she could be anywhere!" She swung around behind him to begin sawing at the chains with her water.

"Just stop! Leave! Get yourself somewhere safe!"

"Shut up! I am going to get you out of here, and you are going to like it!"

"Well isn't this romantic?"

Katara and Aang froze at the sound of the cold, drawling voice.

Their eyes came up to see Azula sauntering into the tent, a huge smile stretched so widely over her waxy face it looked like it might crack. "I knew something was up the second I got here. Everyone's on the other side, watching little Zu Zu and his darling uncle play with their adorable fire. I knew you'd be over here instead. THAT'S WHAT I SAID! I _told _her you'd be here! I was right! It always comes down to this; you don't know it until you're fighting. THIS WILL BE EASY!"

They had been watching her in shock as she paced around speaking to the air. She was making absolutely no sense. But they tensed up at once as she suddenly swiveled around, fingers pointed at them as she crouched as if ready to spring. Before she could do one more thing, Aang slammed his feet into the ground, earthbending a giant slab of earth to come up in between them and Azula. Flames began shooting around the edges and Katara finished cutting through the chains. Aang shot to his feet, grabbing her and running to the flowing body of water outside. He set her down in the creek bed and they both turned back to see the entire tent being blasted into the air in an eruption of fire. As the ball of flames flew into the sky, it converted into ash and began raining down around them as Azula screamed in maniacal laughter.

The commotion drew the attention of the nearest members of the Loyal Ones, and dozens of them converged upon the scene. They seemed surprised to see Azula there and some continued to look on in confusion while others smiled in triumph.

"All hail Azula!" one of the men cried, stepping forth. "The TRUE Fire Lord!"

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,_

_but to be fearless in facing them._

_Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but_

_for the heart to conquer it." _

― Rabindranath Tagore


	10. Chapter 10- Everything

So sorry I took so long to update this time around! This chapter took **forever** to write, and yes, sadly this is the last chapter. T-T

Will there ever be more? I have more to say on this subject at the end of the chapter. So read it first, and I will see you soon. Au revoir!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Everything**

The area around them became almost deadly silent, broken only by the distant shouts of the commotion still occuring on the other side of the encampment. Firebenders began to advance on Aang and Katara, still standing in the shallow waters, while other firebenders rallied behind the princess. Aang noticed as Katara moved into her standard defensive stance, her body angled closely to his and her eyes alert as they took in all the surroundings. He took in a steadying breath as he himself became acutely aware of every potential attacker and prepared for the impending battle. They were both ready to protect the other at all costs.

"Explain to me why you're here again?" Aang hissed at her, not looking away from the firebenders.

"Zuko came and got me."

"Remind me to strangle him later."

Azula's face was still tilted up at the sky where she had been watching her fireball with an enormous smile plastered to her bony features.

"Princess Azula, what would you like us to do?!" one of the firebenders asked after several moments went by with her still staring at the empty sky.

Her head suddenly swung back down to stare at the man who had spoken to her, all traces of glee now vanished as she fixed him with a look of unadulterated hatred.

"What did you call me?" she asked him, her voice cold as ice.

"Uh… forgive m- I mean… you… what?"

"I. AM. THE. FIRE LORD!" She screeched with inhuman volume while striking the man in the chest with a powerful bolt of lightning. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

The rest of the firebenders stared in shock and began to edge away, one so consumed by fright that he turned and ran for his life. The sudden movement seemed to snap Azula out of the trance her kill had put her in, her already crazed expression going up to a new level of rage. Her supporters scattered as she spun around in circles, shooting off more bolts, aiming at anything that moved and all the while letting out a shrieking cackle and screaming profanities.

As a bolt made its way perilously close to the couple standing in the water, Katara felt herself being lifted up into the air as Aang airbended them out of the way. They landed behind an outcropping of rock a little ways downstream.

He pushed her up against the rock. "Please stay here."

"I'm not going to just do nothing."

"Then stay near the water and stay away from Azula," he said firmly, not wasting any more time arguing. His eyes closed in concentration. "I have to stop her; she's going to kill everyone in that camp."

"Good riddance," Katara replied sharply, not forgetting who was responsible for him being covered in bruises and his own blood.

"I can't let it happen." When he opened his eyes, they were glowing along with his tattoos. His hand cupped her chin as she was drawn into to his blazing stare, and then suddenly he was gone.

Katara watched as he took off, running faster than the wind in the direction of the insane princess who had started progressing through the rest of the camp, blasting everything with fire. He began to battle Azula, meeting her attacks with a power Katara had never witnessed. She couldn't help standing in awe of his lithe and muscular form, striking and dodging with such raw fierceness and yet such grace. As always when he fought, he was holding himself back, trying to subdue instead of destroy.

She was brought back to earth by the clouds of smoke. Fires were beginning to spread as a result of Azula's deranged assaults. Katara couldn't care less if the whole rebellion went up in flames for what they did to Aang, but he cared, so Katara began to bend the water from the creek and used it to put out the fires. She noticed several people lying on the ground and she went to them one by one, healing the ones that were still alive and stretching canvases over the ones that weren't.

Aang and Azula were still fighting; her confused supporters were standing around, not sure what they should do. When Azula spotted the crowd forming, she sent an enormous wave of fire their way. Before they even had time to flinch, Aang intercepted it with a powerful blast of air, redirecting it to the mountainside.

_"Katara!"_

She turned around to see Zuko and Iroh as well as dozens of uniformed men and women behind them. She was startled to notice that many of them were wearing the standard embellishments that she had seen on the Loyal Ones.

"What happened?!" she demanded. "Why are they with you?!"

"I met their leader, Lei Xing, on the other side of the camp. He was ready to fight me, but I was trying to express that I wanted to settle our differences and listen to his complaints. Then word got to us that Azula was here and that she was on a rampage and setting everything on fire. He completely lost it and ran away, so did a lot of his soldiers, but many of them chose to follow me instead; they seemed relieved at the chance to abandon what they realized was a corrupted rebellion. I think it's safe to say that this particular uprising is almost completely disbanded. We just have one last loose end…" His scarred face turned towards the continuing battle. "Do you think I should help him?" he asked uncertainly.

"It seems to me he has everything under control," Iroh mused as they watched Aang steadily gaining ground over his opponent.

"She's so different now," Zuko pondered aloud. "Azula used to be so calculating; like she had every move planned out and every strike premeditated. But now... she's all over the place. And it's almost as though her insanity has made her ten times stronger."

This last statement was emphasized by a particularily large fire ball produced by Azula. Katara's mind went blank with panic as it soared in Aang's direction, but he seemed to block it effortlessly with his own blast of fire.

"That is quite possibly a blessing in disguise, Nephew." Iroh said as he stroked his beard contemplatively.

"She can't distinguish between her enemies and her friends," Katara pointed out.

"Exactly," Iroh nodded to her appreciatively, "They will soon see, if they haven't already, that everyone is an enemy to Azula. Even herself."

Suddenly a weak voice cried out from an area along the mountainside, "Someone please help me!"

Katara looked over to see a young boy in the uniform of the Loyal Ones', lying in a pile of rocks that seemed to have fallen from cliffs. She ran to him and slowly lifted the heavy rocks from his legs as he sobbed in pain. When he was clear, she bended some water and placed a hand on each of his legs. He let out a heavy sigh as she finished healing him, and he stared at her in gratitude.

"Thank you, you didn't have to do that. I know what we've done. What I've been a part of." He looked ashamed as he spoke and wasn't able to hold her gaze. She felt pity take the place of anger as she listened to him. He couldn't be older than 12 years old.

"Why _were_ you a part of this?" she asked calmly.

"I don't even know. It's almost like I'm just used to war. I was talked into it and began following orders. Now I'm not sure what I believe in, but I know it's not this."

"You'll find it. I can tell your heart is in the right place." She put her hand on his shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Enlai," he answered, lifting his face to smile at her, but then his eyes widened as he looked behind her.

She stood up and took in the scene before her. Aang had finally overtaken Azula, and she was pinned to the ground with rock encasing her hands and feet. The Avatar stood over her, his eyes going back to normal as he scanned the crowds of people.

"This is over!" he shouted. "If you have a problem with your government, you will be heard as long as you voice it with peace, not violence. I will not allow this loyalist group to continue. As you can see, Azula is not fit to be a ruler of any kind. She's evil and unbalanced and she will be locked away again. So will anyone else who continues to fight in her name."

Katara smiled as she watched him, the pride swelling up as he took charge. But all at once her smile fell and all the breath left her lungs as her head was yanked back by the roots of her hair and a steel blade was pressed to her throat.

_"Don't make a sound or move a muscle," _a deep voice rasped in her ear as he tightened his hold on her.

"L-Lei Xing," Enlai stuttered.

He kicked out at the boy, his foot meeting his head with a solid thud as he collapsed unconscious.

No one had yet noticed the three of them in the shadow of the mountainside, but as Katara looked wildly over Aang, she saw him anxiously searching the faces around him, a presence of fear taking hold of his features.

_I'm here, _her mind called out to him. Lei Xing began pulling her with him as he edged along the rocky wall, remaining hidden in the darkness. Aang was getting further away from them as he searched for Katara, calling out her name with rising panic. Not knowing what else to do, she stomped one foot and then the other on the ground in quick succession, remembering that Aang was able to listen to the earth.

The blade dug further into her skin, "I said not a muscle, you little bitch!"

_"Get your hands off her."_

Lei Xing swung her around with him to face the owner of the furious voice. "Ah, Avatar. Wasn't expecting you so soon." His huge, muscled arm squeezed around her torso as a thin trail of blood made its way down her chest.

Aang's eyes were burning and Katara thought she saw a slight flicker of light go through them. "Let go of her now."

"I don't think so. I require a little payback, you see. Azula was my last shot at regaining my power after her pathetic brother took it away from me. I was a captain on my way to being made commander, and he disgraced me by stripping me of all titles."

"I don't care. Of all the ways you could pick your revenge, you've chosen the one that will bring you the worst consequences. I won't say it again! RELEASE HER!"

This time she knew she saw it, as Aang raised his voice to the loyalist leader, his eyes and his tattoos glowed in pulsing flashes as his hands shook. The air around them began to stir, building up in speed until her hair was swirling around and slapping her captor in the face.

"I would listen to him if I were you," she called over the roar of the wind and the now rumbling earth.

His grip on her slackened as he began to lose his nerve at the sight of the enraged Avatar. Suddenly making up his mind, he threw her into Aang's arms and spun on his heel to run away. She sighed with relief into his chest as his arms enveloped her. But then she looked up in alarm as she realized he was still shaking with wrath.

"Aang? Calm down. It's okay."

_"Stay,"_ he whispered, his voice shuddering.

She watched in horror as he moved around her and began to swiftly pursue the fleeing ex-captain.

"Aang, no!" she screamed as she ran after him. She had never seen him this upset, and she was terrified of what he might be pushed to do, knowing he would eventually regret it.

Aang soared over the ground, his eyes locked on the man who thought he would take Katara away from him. He had never felt such pure hate for another person. Had never felt so justified in attacking someone. Never felt so driven. Never felt tempted to end a human life. Until now. With a sweep of his hand, he flattened Lei Xing to the ground with a gust a wind. He rolled onto his back just as Aang stopped in front of him.

"Please! I'll do anything! I'm sorry!"

"Not sorry enough."

He raised his hand, ready to strike the man with a blast of fire, but before he could even produce a spark, a gentle, smooth hand put itself in the very hand he was about to shoot fire out of.

"Aang," Katara murmured, coming up beside him. "Don't do this. Come back to me."

She didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend how important she was to him. He couldn't let anyone who threatened her life get away with it.

"This isn't you," she continued. "Let go." Her hand touched the small of his back and stroked up the line of his tattoo, running over his lightning scar, going up between his strong shoulders, and up to caress the base of his neck. She laid her forehead on his shoulder and softly pressed her lips to his skin. "I'm safe."

Slowly, he allowed himself to be soothed by Katara, until finally he was able to turn away from the squirming coward to look her in the eyes. She was here, holding him, and she was safe. He still hated the man on the ground, but he decided to listen to her. He trusted her.

"Aang, what's going on?" Zuko demanded as he rushed over. His eyes found the loyalist rebel trying crawl away unnoticed. "Lei Xing. I was hoping we could continue or conversation. Guards, put our friend under arrest. He's coming with us back to the palace."

"Is everyone alright, Zuko?" Katara asked.

"For the most part; however, we will need your healing abilities for the wounded. And Aang, could you uh… help me get Azula out of the ground? We need to get her on the ship."

"Did you ever find out how Azula escaped?" Aang asked him.

"It turned out that one of her attendants was an active member of the Loyal Ones. She snuck messages to her, and she delivered messages from her to the rest of the rebellion. I had already known about the messages; one of the other servants caught Azula writing one once, but I didn't know one of my own staff was to blame. And then a couple of weeks after we all left, they put an escape plan into action, one that involved her bedroom window."

The three of them walked over to where Azula was still writhing on the ground, her voice now only capable of making a hoarse gasping noise. Awkwardly, and with the help of several strong guards, they chained each of her limbs one by one before Aang prepared to release her hands and feet from the rocky earth.

"Katara, why don't you get back?" Aang tried suggesting casually. "It's not necessary for you to be a part of this."

He expected some kind of rebuke, but instead she emitted a horrified gasp. "I forgot about Enlai!"

"Who?"

Instead of answering, she took off in the direction of the mountainside, where he could see a small figure lying motionless on the ground.

"Alright Aang, are you ready?" Zuko asked bracingly.

"Uh, yeah," he answered, tearing his eyes away from the sight of Katara kneeling next to the person who needed her healing.

He stomped on the ground and thrust out the heel of his hand, breaking open the rocks confining the princess. As expected, Azula immediately increased her struggling, but what wasn't expected was the caliber of her strength. Before the guards were able to bring both her hands behind her back, she let out one last bolt of lightning, flailing her arms wildly. The bolt passed by, not striking any of the people standing by, but hitting the rocky wall of the nearest mountain that surrounded the small valley.

Katara was trying to get the unconscious boy to wake up, but so far all she had managed to get from him were a few pained grunts. Suddenly a loud sizzling sound soared over her head, followed by a loud crack. She looked up and registered the sight of several large rocks detaching from the mountain and falling straight towards her and Enlai. There wasn't time to move out of the way. In a flash, she did the only thing she could; she threw herself over his helpless body, shielding his head as the melon sized rocks rained down.

"NO!" As fast as he could, Aang ran to the falling rocks, bending an earthy shelf over Katara to keep any more from landing on her. As he made it to her side he immediately noticed a bloody gash on the side of her head. He lifted her off the boy, cradling her head as he turned her over in his arms to look at her face. Her eyes were closed and the blood oozed through her hair. His body felt numb with shock.

"K-K-Katara? Wake up, Baby, you have to heal yourself."

She didn't stir.

"No. No, no, no, _NO_!"

He stood and carried her to the creek. He kneeled down in the stream and laid her in it, gently cupping the back of her neck and letting the water flow over her.

"Please, come on," he whispered, tears coursing down his face as his hands quivered with panic. His heart was a hundred-pound rock in his chest, weighed down by the deepest fear he had ever known in his life. But he ignored it as he bended up a handful of water and placed it on her wound, hoping she would somehow be able to unconsciously heal herself.

"Please, _please_. I can't lose you."

He kept the water on her skull, wishing with all his being that he could fix her as she had done for him so many times before. He closed his eyes as he began sobbing over her head, using every ounce of energy he had to will her body to mend itself.

He felt something strange covering the hand he had placed on her injured head. He opened his eyes to see the water around his hand glowing. It felt hot and cold all at once, and he could feel the life energy within it. And then he felt even more. He could feel _her_. He could feel her life force as it flowed all through her body, but at the wound in her head the pathway was blocked. He kept it up, focusing on the one spot and was amazed as he saw the laceration begin to close up. When he thought that he done as much as he could do, he lifted her up from the water and hugged her to his chest, still staring at her face.

"Please," he repeated softly.

Her eyes fluttered open and she peered at him dazedly. Instantly, the austere pressure pushing down on Aang's heart melted away. He sobbed even harder, now in blessed relief, as he brought his lips down to move against hers. He felt her arm make its way around his neck as she hugged and kissed him back as well as she could.

"Shh, it's okay," she mumbled as his face moved to press against the softness of her neck. She didn't actually know if everything was indeed okay, in fact she found that she didn't know anything about what was going on around her. Her mind was a jumbled mess of confusion, but she knew one thing: Aang needed her, and it was her job to comfort him.

Neither one of them noticed as Iroh and Zuko approached. "You should get her somewhere warm," Iroh said to Aang. "I'll put on some tea."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Katara slowly opened her eyes, feeling like she was in a fog. _Why is everything so blurry? _She tried to move but her arms and legs felt so heavy, so she satisfied herself by just taking in her surroundings. She was in a soft bed with several blankets laid over her. The room was dark and lit only by an oil lamp on the table. At the sound of another person breathing, she realized she wasn't alone. She rolled her head to the side and smiled in contentment as her eyes found Aang, sound asleep as he lay next to her. The fog began to leave her and her strength steadily returned. She scooted closer and lifted her hand to stroke his jaw with the tips of her fingers.

Aang's eyes opened, a bright smile spreading over his face as he turned his face to nuzzle the inside of her hand. "You're awake."

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, confused.

"About 18 hours. I was getting worried after the first 12, but the ship's doctor said that's normal with head injuries."

"Are we in the airship?"

"No, we're back in the palace."

"What happened?"

"You took a rock to the head," he answered, his eyes looking pained.

The memory of the rockslide came back to her. "Where's Enlai? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, thanks to you. I would lecture you about putting some kid's safety before your own, but I know you wouldn't listen."

"You know me well."

His gaze fell away from her's as a dark look passed over his face.

"What about you?" she asked with concern. "Are you okay?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I almost lost you."

She swallowed tightly. "Well you didn't. I'm here, you're here, everything's fine."

"It was so unbelievably close to not being fine. If you ever left this world, I don't know how I would go on. I couldn't be myself."

"No, Aang. I know you love me and the words you're saying feel like they're true, but if something happened to me you would somehow find a way to move on. You would do it by being you because you're strong. You're the strongest person I know."

He stared at her intensely. "Why do you think that is? It's not because I'm the Avatar, it's not because I'm the last airbender. It's because when my whole world was taken away from me, I was left one thing. One thing to help balance it out." He gently brushed her cheek with his fingertips. "When you released me from the iceberg, I opened my eyes and I saw you... I thought you were an angel. It wasn't until later that I realized that you were sent to me from the spirits. The most amazing person who was ever created was given to me in exchange for everything I had lost. How could I have done anything otherwise? I couldn't have mastered the elements, I wouldn't have had the strength to face Ozai, and I would have been no good to anybody."

Tears formed in her eyes as he went on.

"I lost so much, but if I was given the choice, I wouldn't be able to trade you in order to get it all back. You're everything."

"You're everything to me too," she whispered back, pulling herself further into his arms.

He wasn't wearing a shirt and for that she was very appreciative, needing to feel as close to him as possible. One of his lean, muscled arms slid up to pillow her head, the other went around her side, slipping under her shirt to rest on her bare back. Their lips met each other in a deep and slow, rhythmic motion. Pushing and rubbing softly but firmly as they took their time, savoring every sensation. At that moment, there was nothing in the world but the two of them. Their bodies and their tongues rolled over each other, still going slow. Losing themselves in one another as they made time slow down.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The rebellion of the Loyal Ones was officially over. It would have been difficult for them to continue since they discovered that one of their leaders was a homicidal maniac, and the other was a coward locked away in prison. Even more convincing to the ex-loyalists, was the compassion shown to them by the Fire Lord. Not to mention the actions of the Avatar and his waterbender companion. They had not forgotten that it was Aang who had protected them from Azula, or that Katara was the one who healed them. The kindness that they showed despite the cruelty of the Loyal Ones, was what really cemented the transference of loyalty.

Aang and Katara spent the next day strolling around the palace, not really doing anything, as Katara was still recovering. Aang refused to leave her side, keeping their fingers intertwined.

"You're acting like I could fall apart any minute," she complained good-naturedly.

"Humor me, okay? I've never seen that much of your blood before."

"Wait, what? How bad was I hurt?"

"Your head was practically split open," he answered, brow drawn.

She put her hand on her head, gently probing the tender area. "I don't understand. Who healed me?"

"I did."

She froze. "Are you freaking kidding me? After all those arguments about how you couldn't do it?"

"Those arguments still hold true. I tried doing it again on myself and on other people, but no good." He smiled solemnly at her. "My healing only works for you."

"That is unacceptable. Think about all the possibilities!"

His smile widened. "Just shut up."

He kissed her; thrilled that he was with her again after being separated for far too long. When she tried to pull away to complain some more, he lifted her off her feet and kissed her harder. She finally gave in, relaxing into his embrace and began laughing against his lips.

He pulled away and set her back down, his eyebrow raised at her random giggling. "What's so funny?"

"Just that everyone's watching."

He looked around; noticing how all at once the people around them became very busy with their tasks. He rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. "Oh well." Then he looked at her again, his eyes brightened by a sudden idea. "Why don't we take off?"

"And do what?"

"I don't know. What do you wanna do?"

"Whatever. I didn't get nearly enough alone time with you when we traveled through the Earth Kingdom. Although, I'm not crazy about the idea of all those deadlines and appointments."

"Vacation it is," he said, grinning as he played with a stray tendril of her hair.

"Where are we gonna go?" she asked.

"Anywhere. As long as it's just you and me."

"What about the rest of the world? The Avatar is still in high demand."

"They'll just have to wait. I need you right now, and I can't be the Avatar without you."

**0o0o0o0o0**

_"If someone loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that's enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars. He tells himself, 'My flower's up there somewhere...' But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it's as if, suddenly, all the stars went out." _

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,_ The Little Prince_

* * *

So that's it! My first fanfic is complete. I know, I know… you're thinking, 'How is she only capable of making a 10 chapter story? Other people manage to write 70 chapters!' Well… shit. 10 chapters seem to be the extent of my imagination, heheh. In my defense, they _were_ nice and long chapters. And I do have other ideas for more stories. What?! Did I hear the word… sequel? Maybe. I also have a non-Katanng story currently in the works, and while the sound of that may not interest you, my fellow Kataangers, I'm actually pretty excited about it. I'm not gonna say anything else about it yet, except that it is NOT a Zutara story. If you like that kind of thing, fine, but I don't.

In case you didn't figure it out for yourself, the title of this story and of this chapter are both taken from titles of Lifehouse songs: _You and Me _and _Everything. _They are both amazing songs, and I tried to reflect the theme of them into these chapters. I highly suggest listening to them if you haven't already.


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